The Municipality of Tirana has changed the function of Rruga e Durresit, one of the main arterial roads in the capital city.
Out of four lanes for car traffic, now Rruga e Durresit is left with two lanes for cars and two for bicycles and pedestrians, the same if not wider than car lanes.
In July, the municipality started the works for the reconstruction of the sewerage network on this road and for this reason, the traffic on it was stopped.
A few days ago, the road was opened for the passage of cars and its function had changed completely:
- From four lanes, two for each direction, the road is made with only two lanes and only one direction.
- The other two lanes have become even wider lanes than usual, for bicycles and pedestrians, on both sides of the road.
The road already has wide pavements on each side that are used by pedestrians and it’s not understood why additional pedestrian walkways were needed.
This is the latest intervention that has caused traffic chaos in the city. The Municipality say they want to discourage and reduce the use of cars in the city but there is currently not a reliable alternative.
Meanwhile, as we explained earlier in Exit News, the argument for car overuse is not supported by statistics. Albania has one of the lowest rates of cars per capita and oil consumption per capita in Europe, compared to model countries for the use of bicycles and public transport.
Above all, as the municipality continues to publicly promote the use of public transport and bicycles in the city, it has continued to allow mass construction near the city centre, which only increases traffic and movements towards it.
