Clear-cut rules for traffic management, public transport's development, paid parking arrangements in Moldova

Chisinau, October 21, 2026 – The parliament will examine, in the first reading, the draft law on sustainable urban mobility in Moldova. The document, prepared by the Infrastructure and Regional Development Ministry (MIDR), establishes clear rules for traffic management, public transport development, the organization of paid parking and the management of abandoned vehicles.

The draft law establishes a uniform and predictable framework, aligned with European best practices, in order to promote the development of safe, efficient and sustainable urban mobility systems.

The authors propose clear regulations on the organization and operation of paid parking facilities. Thus, parking services on public land will be considered a public communal service provided by local public administration authorities (LPAs) through municipal enterprises or by delegating management to operators. Parking fees and organizational rules will be established by local or municipal councils. The revenue generated will be used primarily for the maintenance and modernization of parking facilities, the development of local infrastructure and the subsidization of public transport.

Failure to pay the parking fee or the improper use of parking spaces will also constitute administrative offenses. In such cases, the enforcement officer may clamp the vehicle’s wheels, if the owner or driver is not present. The vehicle may be towed only if, within 72 hours, the driver does not request that the wheel clamp be removed.

The draft also regulates the procedure for removing abandoned vehicles. After a vehicle is determined to be abandoned, LPA officials will identify the owner and notify them to voluntarily remove the vehicle within 15 days. If the owner fails to comply within the established period, the local public administration authority will order the vehicle to be removed and transported to a specially designated storage facility. Subsequently, if no one requests the vehicle’s return within 60 days, it will be reasonably presumed that the owner has renounced their ownership rights over it. In this case, the local public administration authority will refer the matter to the court, in order to establish that the vehicle is abandoned and order its transfer into the ownership of the local public administration authority.

The draft law will allow LPAs to establish low-emission zones (LEZs). In these zones, local authorities may introduce traffic restrictions or differentiated charging mechanisms based on the vehicle’s emissions category.

The document also provides for the development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which will be mandatory for cities that serve as centers of urban nodes—Chisinau and Balti. When preparing these plans, priority will be given to improving the safety of all road users, developing public transport and ensuring the accessibility of the transport system for all user categories, including people with disabilities and people with reduced mobility.

In Chisinau and Balti, public transport planning will aim to locate stops no more than 300 meters from educational institutions, medical institutions, elderly care centers and community institutions. At the same time, at least 60 per cent of the population is expected to live less than 500 meters from a public transport route served at intervals of no more than 20 minutes.

The MIDR will develop and coordinate policies in the field of sustainable urban mobility and will endorse Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans.

At the second reading, the draft law on sustainable mobility of Moldova will be merged with the draft law on the legal status of ownerless or abandoned vehicles, prepared by MPs Gaik Vartanean and Olga Ursu from the Alternative parliamentary faction.

According to data from the Public Services Agency, in the first half of 2025, the number of vehicles registered in Moldova exceeded 1.35 million. Most of them—more than 387,000—are registered in Chisinau, of which 287,000 passenger cars.

 

Communication and Public Relations Directorate of Moldova’s Parliament