It might surprise many Kyivans to learn that the wide sidewalks of the main Khreshchatyk Street are actually designated as pedestrian zones.
But taking two steps out of a shop and landing in the path of a large black BMW reliably startles newcomers and tourists. Most Kyivans have, however, adjusted to the fact that motorists drive on sidewalks and park on them also. Existing “no parking” and “pedestrian zone” signs are routinely ignored by drivers, a small but annoying aspect of the nation’s lack of rule of law.
But Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko’s administration plans to change all of this.
In coming weeks, bollards will be installed along the length of Kyiv’s central shopping street to prevent car owners from pulling onto the sidewalk to park. Overnight on Sept. 29, a neat row of semi-spherical gray stone bollards appeared along the right-hand side of the sidewalk, near Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street.
Fittingly, the responsibility for parking laws will be enforced by the new police patrols.
Starting Nov. 7, they will be legally authorized to tow offending vehicles from their parking spots, with the car owners liable for the expense. This is the first time that Kyiv’s police have had this power.
To help prepare the city’s car-owning population for the change, a volunteer taskforce has been set up to raise awareness. Informational leaflets patiently explain that driving and parking on Khreshchatyk Street inhibits the safety and movement of pedestrians. Drivers are asked to “park by the rules” and “respect one another.” Information is provided on nearby parking lots that charge Hr 10 per hour.
William Schreiber, who is helping the city with the transition, says that police will form policies on how and when to tow vehicles that violate parking restrictions.
“There’s always going to be some way for somebody to drive over almost any barrier you put up,” Schreiber says. “We depend on our partnership with the new police, to make sure that if they see somebody trying to circumnavigate the barriers that they enforce the rules or tow them.”
The grand scale of Khreshchatyk is most evident on weekends, when the street is cordoned off to create a family-friendly pedestrian zone.
Robert Koenig, a mayoral adviser with the Kyiv Investment Agency, is enthusiastic about the street’s potential. “You won’t find these big sidewalks in many European cities, you’ll find them about half the size,” he says. “It’s great for tourism, if you can actually use them.”
The volunteers refer to the Champs-Élysées in Paris as an example of similarly wide sidewalks that are pedestrian-friendly, with pathways separating shopfronts from restaurant terraces.
Maxym Zayika, a project volunteer, said: “Pedestrian zones are for pedestrians. The city is made by the street life. It’s not made by cars.”
Kyiv Post staff writer Sandra MacKenzie can be reached at [email protected]
