They have parked their cars on a small asphalted area near the apatment blocks. there are no signs saying they can't park there, but also no signs saying that they can.
Riga resident Jānis [no surname given] was among those surprised to be given a 30 euro fine. He doesn't refuse to pay, but wants to understand what rules exactly he has violated.
"The pain is not as great as the uncertainty. Fines are regularly issued for being in this zone, and moreover, for "not being able to drive here without violating the Road Traffic Regulations". Therefore, the question is the following - what exactly are we violating by entering this territory?" said Jānis. "There is nothing that would explain this action of the municipal police. If there really was a sign or horizontal marking - there is no problem, if I am guilty, I will pay. But I don't see what for?
"The logical solution would be to simply explain to drivers that they are not allowed to enter here. A basic sign or simply draw a white or yellow line with a brush that must not be crossed."
The parking place is connected to the road by asphalt and it is possible to get out of it without crossing the lawn.
Riga Municipal Police declined to comment on the current situation because Jānis has appealed his sentence. However, he is not the only one who has found himself in this situation at this address.
"This year, police officers have made decisions to impose penalties in 54 cases at this specific address. At the same time, it should be noted that this is the total number of fines imposed for various violations of the Road Traffic Regulations, not just for parking cars in a specific area," the police said.
It is not known how the police officers assessed the validity of the penalty, and at the same time, this particular paved area does not appear on the city map, which means its existence is illegal.
The situation is also complicated by the fact that the residents of the building, who most often receive fines, cannot really do anything about it, because the illegal area is not located on the territory belonging to their houses.
None of the building managers contacted knew what this square really was and for what purpose it was created.
The property manager, SIA "Pilsētas mājas", replied that it was most likely created long before the specific company started working here. And yet – considering that the mentioned area is not officially registered, but causes confusion for residents and guests of the neighbouring building, could the manager consider fencing off this area to mitigate such situations?
"The road traffic regulations clearly state the parking procedures and rules, regardless of the manager's ability to fence the territory. It is within the competence of the apartment owners to decide on the use and further development of this territory, taking into account the public status of the home territory and, if necessary, making changes to the territory's status in accordance with the prescribed procedure," the manager pointed out.
Meanwhile, representatives of the municipality pointed out that there is no reason for the local government to impose an obligation to dismantle the square if residents use the square, for example, to place garbage containers or temporarily store collected autumn leaves.
So for now it appears drivers will probably continue to be fined for parking in a car park that does not exist.