The plan is to create connection points between public transport, pedestrian, cycling, and rail infrastructure. At the same time, work is also underway on the creation of a "single ticket".
This year, mobility points are planned to be built at 9 railway stations - Alfa, Children's Hospital, Slokas iela, Brasa, Vecdaugava, Turība, Mangaļi, Vecāķi, and Gaisma. Next year, it is planned to start building them at 6 more stations.
Depending on the results of the tender, it is expected that the work on the mobility points could start this autumn.
Mārtiņš Slimbahs, Head of the Public Infrastructure Development Department of Riga City Council, pointed out that mobility points are likely to contribute to a change in the habits of the population:
"They will make it possible to use public transport in a different way and to use it, for example, by bicycle. If we are talking about Slokas Street, they are also making a mobility point in Slokas Street at the existing railway crossing. There is nothing there at the moment; a completely new mobility point will be created, integrating it with the railway. There will also be a normal way to get to the platform, and there will be bike racks. In principle, everyone who lives around there will be able to use this cycling infrastructure and the integration of public transport with rail very easily."
The new mobility points will also rebuild the existing cycling infrastructure to make it safer for pedestrians. For example, Brasa point will provide illuminated and safe pedestrian crossing points. A bicycle parking area with 58 spaces will also be created under the bridge in Brasa.
Andrejs Urtāns, Head of the Traffic and Infrastructure Department of the Riga City Council's Department for Open Space and Mobility, said that another example would be Šķirotava station:
"Šķirotava is currently designing a connection for this planned mobility point along Granīta Street to the Rīga border and then a connection to the cycling infrastructure. Our project includes a separate pedestrian cycling infrastructure with lighting that will connect to the mobility point. This will allow access to Riga from Saurieši via this infrastructure. Or walk, cycle, go to the mobility point, and then use public transport."
Riga Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis (New Unity) said that another step towards more convenient use of public transport would be a single ticket for Riga's public transport and passenger trains.
"We are working on this together with our colleagues from the Ministry of Transport and I hope that in the first half of next year, we will be able to start testing it in a pilot project," said Ķirsis.
In parallel, the municipality is working on a construction project to build mobility points at Bolderāja, Dauderi, Sarkandaugava, Šķirotava, Zemitāni, and Ziemeļblāzma railway stations.
The construction of the mobility points will be co-financed by the European Union. In total, they could cost more than €30 million.
The project is being implemented by the Public Infrastructure Development Department of the Riga City Council's Central Administration. BM projekts SIA is carrying out the construction design.
