Latvia is to remove references to Russia and Belarus from road signs
Delfi reports on this.
The signs are being replaced gradually – during scheduled maintenance work or road infrastructure upgrades. The plan is to completely remove all signs indicating directions to Russia and Belarus by 30 September.
According to the state-owned company Latvijas Valsts ceļi, a total of 235 road signs and information signs mentioning towns and cities in Russia and Belarus have been identified on the country’s public roads.
Most of these signs are located on major motorways, particularly along the Vidzeme, Daugavpils, Bauska and Jelgava routes. Some of the signs are also situated within Riga and Daugavpils.
It is noted separately that 78 such signs have been installed within the Riga municipality.
How much will the replacement cost?
The Latvian Ministry of Transport estimates that a partial adjustment of all main road signs and the complete replacement of signs bearing the names of Russian and Belarusian settlements could cost around 120,000 euros, including VAT.
At the same time, the ministry emphasises that it does not plan to request additional funding from the state budget. The changes are to be carried out gradually using available funds.
Why the decision was made not to carry out the replacement immediately
The Ministry’s report states that one option is to make partial adjustments to the text on the road signs. However, this approach could create technical problems.
In particular, the Ministry warns that partially obscuring certain names could impair the visibility of the signs at night and negatively affect their visibility to drivers.
For this reason, the authorities consider it more appropriate to carry out a comprehensive update of the signs whenever possible, during repairs or the replacement of outdated structures.
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