markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 17:32): markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 17:32):Who knows what this situation means?
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 17:36):Where should pedestrians to go?)
Looks like some hypothetical case in some exam, and not a real life.
And to add insult to injury, porch/stairs thingy, seen on the right side, cuts into the right lane for more than a half of its width.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 19:26):Yeah, the stuff seems conflicting. Bike lanes can be marked with 941. road paint and solid line 920. can be used to draw/split/border lanes, but then it also specifies that such a lane is meant for bicycles, so pedestrians technically aren't allowed there. It should have had the 955. sign as well.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 19:29):In any case, this isn't really described in the road law, so there isn't really an actual answer.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 19:30):Also that place is absolutely attrocious. Like the bare minimum not-my-problem construction. I can't wait to survey all these cycleways from start to end and make an essay here about all the crap they likely built. Thankfully, they had a lot of room in most places, so it's likely not as bad as in some other places
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 19:37):Well, if we are talking about construction of Riga-Ulbroka - I'd say it was done reasonably well.
New crossings with major streets (at Nicgales and G.Astras) have atrociously long waits, and I don't really get logic of here they put and were they didn't put stopping aids. But I'd say those are quite minor.
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 19:40):But this whole location "behind" roundabout frustrates me.
In one direction we get what I posted, with additional squeeze from railing later on.
In the other (to Depo, which I'd consider major destination) - just f*ck all. Sidewalk just stop.
Want to go to Depo after rain? - tough luck, sucks to be you.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 19:50):Yeah, everything goes west-east and almost nothing goes north-south. So you basically can't get anywhere
That no connection to depo always pisses me off too - I go there fairly often
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 19:52):I don't know why I didn't just screenshot cycling map... Anyway,
Almost nothing goes north-south anywhere in Riga
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 19:54):And like east riga - there is SO MUCH space to build this stuff. Commie block road sidewalks look like this
and connect the most populated areas and yet there are like 2 cycleways across the whole grid
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:05):I'm pretty sure this comes from simple lack of understanding. People who do planning for these projects, approve and the allocate money rarely cycle in the city.
Their mental model includes cars, and so they focus on building magistral roads, even highways, for bicycles, imagining that now half of Ulbroka will jump onto the bike and start commuting by it everyday.
And on the other hand, they don't think about bicycle as a viable thing to just go shopping, fetching your online order or just visiting some place for pleasure.
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:08):Only (kinda) North-South path I immediately thought of is Bruninieku. And I'm still grieving about removal of rubber blocks separating "same direction" bike lane from car lane.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 20:09):Wait what happened on Bruninieku? I tend to avoid the center, just pass through, because it's a car0infested clusterfudge
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:14):They took out those long low rubber bricks, that separated lane from road. Essentially, now it's just a painted gutter. So as you can probably guess, cars stop there all the time now. Exactly how it's happening on Lačpleša (but mostly on the same direction lane only).
But this has happened like in the last year's spring, or something. So not really news. But still sad
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 20:17):Hmm I've been on Bruņinieku like twice in 4 years. I guess I'm so used to gutters in Riga that I didn't even notice.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 20:18):It's been like 5 years and I'm still mad about Čaka cycle gutter removal... imagine being sad about not even having a gutter
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:31):You mean Čaka had gutter in both directions?
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:35):I find going by Avotu (in direction of Daugava stadium) quite pleasant, so I can't say I'd use opposite lane on Čaka more if it existed.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 20:37):It was like for a year and it was amazing (well, compared to the garbage that is Barona gutters). https://www.mapillary.com/app/?pKey=131926069038032&focus=photo
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 20:38):Yeah, Avotu is fine too nowadays. I don't remember what it was around 2021.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 20:40):The problem is that Avotu doesn't go to Zemināta, it goes to Deglava. It's like 6 blocks away in the end. Only thing that goes to Zemitāna is Barona.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 20:42):
And now with upcoming Zemināta bridge cycleways again - how do you get there?
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:46):HellMap said:
it was amazing
Was it really?)
I mean a whole lot of intersections, with probably quite often some car wanting a right turn?
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:49):I guess, if you want to get to Zemitāna, can still use bus lane on the Čaka, and just deal with trolleys, taxies and electrocars (and everybody turning right).
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 20:54):But in most cases - I'd probably go Avotu, Deglava bridge, Braslas, Vējavas.
This path takes to more or less same place Zemitāna would, with similar distance.
And it has only one really unpleasant place (narrow sidewalk just before stadium), which for Riga is almost a win too =))
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 21:05):markalex said:
HellMap said:
it was amazing
Was it really?)
I mean a whole lot of intersections, with probably quite often some car wanting a right turn?
Well, comparatively "(well, compared to the garbage that is Barona gutters)". The whole street is tuned to car traffic, so traffic lights are coincidentally fairly good. If you go fast, you can basically do it in 2-3 "segments". And cars have to let you pass (theoretically). Barona is some mystic garbage where I have to stop at every other intersection because the lights are just ass.
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 21:10):I agree on Barona being mystic garbage, especially in that direction.
I only tried Čaka a couple times in that direction, so can't really say, but in reverse it requires me to go a bit faster than my liking. But that obviously quite personal.
On Avotu I usually get the full length in one wave.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 21:14):If I go onto Avotu from Lāčplēša (dang rhat's a lot of diacritics), I usually get at least 1 red light. I think going west I usually get 2. This probably also varies by time, I really don't know how configured the lights are.
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 21:15):HellMap said:
And cars have to let you pass (theoretically)
They even do it most of the time. But that is one of the thing frequent riding on Barona taught me: cars often just don't really see you when they turn right.
In this way, riding in an actual bus lane can be kinda beneficial :thinking:
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 21:17):Given how much I bike, I tend to ride defensively and constantly looking at everything. But it's really exhausting doing this all the time. If I go on longer trips to like other cities, it's just so tiring to have to pay close attention to everything. So I tend to just avoid center or really nay places with cars as much as I can. Not many options though... Mostly I end up using city outskirts.
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 21:20):Even on Avotu, cars tend to think of it as oneway, so you suddenly going the other way is weird. Granted, by now most regulars are used to it. But especially at intersections where anyone is turning left, you just gotta pay attention
HellMap (Jul 17 2026 at 21:25):I guess when I experience more unsafe moments in like 15 minutes in riga center than I do in like 3 hours going away from the city, it makes me avoid it
markalex (Jul 17 2026 at 21:45):HellMap said:
Given how much I bike, I tend to ride defensively and constantly looking at everything. But it's really exhausting doing this all the time. If I go on longer trips to like other cities, it's just so tiring to have to pay close attention to everything. So I tend to just avoid center or really nay places with cars as much as I can. Not many options though... Mostly I end up using city outskirts.
Well, I'd imagine almost everybody in Latvia is a casual cyclist compared to you)
Last updated: Jul 26 2026 at 22:51 UTC