Abandoned cars removed from streets after six months, and unpaid parking could lead to wheel lock-up. New rules for drivers and public transport voted by Parliament

Cars left in the same place for more than six months may be removed by local authorities, and drivers who park illegally or do not pay the parking fee risk waking up with their wheels locked. The measures are set out in a draft law on sustainable urban mobility, approved by Parliament in the first reading, with the vote of 70 deputies. The document aims to reduce congestion in cities, regulate paid parking and improve the population's access to public transport. Chisinau and Balti will be required to develop urban mobility plans by 2030, and when designing infrastructure, pedestrians, cyclists and public transport will have priority, before cars, Radio Moldova broadcasts.

The project was presented in plenary by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Nicolai Mîndra. According to the official, the number of vehicles has increased considerably in recent years, while local authorities do not have sufficient tools for managing traffic and parking.

"In less than six years, the car park in the Republic of Moldova has grown by 34% and now reaches 1.44 million vehicles. Faced with this pressure, local authorities do not have the necessary tools today. There is no urban mobility planning framework, a mechanism for sanctioning non-payment of parking fees, or legal procedures for removing abandoned vehicles. This project covers exactly these gaps, for the benefit of local administrations and citizens," Míndra declared.

The new law also establishes the principles according to which streets and transport infrastructure will have to be developed. Mobility plans will be mandatory only for the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti, while other localities will be able to develop them optionally.

"The first is the pedestrian, then the cyclist, public transport and, only then, the car. The urban mobility plan will be mandatory only for cities located in the center of urban nodes. We are talking about the municipality of Chisinau and the municipality of Balti, which concentrate the national car park and congestion problems. For all other cities, the plan remains an option", the Secretary of State explained.

At the same time, these documents will be important for attracting European funding for urban infrastructure.

"A city without a sustainable urban mobility plan cannot access funding for projects such as trolleybus lines or bike path networks. The urban mobility plan is the access ticket to these resources", the official said.

One of the main changes concerns vehicles that occupy parking lots or public spaces for months. According to the draft, a car could be considered abandoned if it remains in the same place for more than six months.

In Chisinau, there are approximately 2.000-2.500 such vehicles, according to estimates presented by Nicolai Mîndra. After the six-month period expires, the authorities will inspect the car and try to identify the owner. The owner will be notified and will have 15 days to pick up the vehicle, without being fined.

"If possible, by mail and, in parallel, the announcement that the vehicle with the respective number belongs to a certain person is placed on the official website of the city hall. It will be evicted in 15 days. If the owner comes and picks up the vehicle within 15 days, no fine is applied. When the 15 days have passed, the city hall picks up the vehicle and takes it to a secure parking lot", pointed out Mândra.

If the car is not claimed after another 15 days of storage, the city hall will have 60 days to notify the court. The sale of the vehicle will be possible only after a court decision is made establishing the abandonment. The money obtained from the sale will be kept for three years, during which time the former owner will be able to request the difference remaining after deducting the taxes due.

Locked wheels for illegal parking or failure to pay the fee

The draft also introduces the possibility of locking the wheels of vehicles parked illegally or for which the parking fee has not been paid. If the owner does not request unlocking within 72 hours, the vehicle may be evacuated to a secure area. Its recovery will be conditional on the payment of fees and fines to be established in the Code of Contraventions.

What happens to the cars of owners who go abroad?

During the parliamentary debates, PAS MP Vasile Grădinaru drew attention to situations in which owners leave their cars for long periods because they are abroad. Nicolai Mîndra explained that the procedure involves identifying and notifying the owner, when this is possible. In the case of vehicles without registration numbers or other identification elements, the procedure will continue, but the finding of abandonment and the eventual sale will require the intervention of the court.
The draft Law on Sustainable Urban Mobility has been approved, for now, only in the first reading, so the new mechanisms for evacuation, wheel locking and parking management are not yet applicable based on this document. To become law, the draft must pass the final reading and go through the promulgation and publication procedures. Chisinau and Balti will have until 2030 to develop sustainable urban mobility plans. The measures provided for in them will be able to be financed from the National Fund for Regional and Local Development, as well as through European Union programs.