Clear rules for traffic organization, public transport development and establishment of paid parking

Parliament approved in the first reading the draft law on sustainable urban mobility in the Republic of Moldova. The document, drafted by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, establishes clear rules for traffic organization, public transport development, the establishment of paid parking facilities and the management of abandoned vehicles.

The bill establishes a unified and predictable framework, aligned with European best practices, 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, the parking service 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 revenues obtained will be used primarily for the maintenance and modernization of parking facilities, the development of local infrastructure and the subsidization of public transport.

Furthermore, failure to pay the parking fee or the improper use of parking spaces will constitute administrative offences. In such cases, the enforcement officer will be able to immobilize the vehicle by clamping its 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 clamps be removed.

The bill also regulates the procedure for removing abandoned vehicles. After establishing that a vehicle has been abandoned, LPA officials will identify the owner and issue a notice requiring the vehicle to be removed voluntarily within 15 days. If the owner fails to comply within the established deadline, 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 waived their ownership rights over it. In this case, the local public administration authority will refer the matter to the court to establish that the vehicle is abandoned and order its transfer into the ownership of the local public administration authority.

The bill will allow LPAs to establish low-emission zones (LEZs). In these zones, local authorities will be able to introduce traffic restrictions or differentiated charging mechanisms based on the vehicles' emissions category.

The document also provides for the development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), which will be mandatory for cities serving as urban node centers—Chișinău and Bălți. When developing these plans, priority will be given to increasing the safety of all road users, developing public transport and ensuring the accessibility of the transport system for all categories of users, including persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility.

In Chișinău and Bălți, 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% of the population should live within 500 meters of a public transport line served at intervals of no more than 20 minutes.

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development will develop and coordinate policies in the field of sustainable urban mobility and will endorse the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans.

The bill will be examined by Parliament in the second reading.

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

 

Communication and Public Relations Department of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova