The blockade took place on the road from the Engure highway to the small village of Rauda, where the Rauda nursing home for people with disabilities is located, and lasted several hours.
The 3-kilometer stretch of gravel road in question is in poor condition and causes residents of the home extreme discomfort and inconvenience when they are driven in and out in ambulances, the protesters pointed out. Villagers also complained of the difficulty of negotiating the road, which is the only link to the highway from the village.
"There are more than 300 people there. They are sick. They bring them to the clinic. You understand how it is when you are shaking a sick person who is already suffering from pain," said Viviāna, a resident of Rauda.
The protesters were further enraged by the fact that the road was included on a list of priority repairs for the state road repair agency but nothing appears to have been done. The agency in question said the road was in satisfactory condition.
Eriks Lukmans, chairman of Tukums district council, said the local council could not carry out necessary repairs on its own but was open to cooperation with the state road agency.
