Police on restrictions on lorry traffic in Mykolaiv: «Only the road owner can make this decision»

Traffic jam on the Varvarivsky Bridge. Photo: Alla Bozhko

The Mykolaiv Region Patrol Police stated that the decision to restrict heavy goods vehicle traffic on the approaches to the Varvarivsky Bridge can only be taken by the road owner — the State Agency for Infrastructure Restoration and Development of Ukraine.

This was stated in a comment to NikVesti by Vitalii Dushko, press officer for the Mykolaiv Region Patrol Police, commenting on the situation regarding truck traffic jams in the Varvarivka neighbourhood.

«The decision to close the roads to heavy goods vehicles can only be taken by the owner of the road network. Both bridges and the approaches to Mykolaiv from the direction of Odesa and Kyiv form part of the M-14 Odesa–Melitopol–Novoazovsk motorway. This is a road of international importance, and its owner is the State Agency for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine. Therefore, it is this agency that can make such decisions, not the city authorities,» explained Vitalii Dushko, press officer for the Mykolaiv Region Patrol Police.

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According to him, the police have not yet received any requests from this agency regarding closures or additional traffic restrictions on these sections.

At the same time, patrol officers are constantly monitoring the situation on the bridges and the approaches to them.

«If traffic jams occur, patrol officers at checkpoints inform lorry drivers and advise them to wait it out so as not to cause congestion. But we cannot ban traffic,» he noted.

He also explained that even if additional restrictions are introduced, not all heavy goods vehicles can be stopped.

«There are categories of transport that are exempt from the restrictions. These include, in particular, vehicles carrying perishable goods, live animals, dangerous goods, as well as military or humanitarian cargo. Nor can we restrict transport engaged in international transport with a destination abroad,» said Vitalii Dushko.

A separate problem, he said, remains the lack of special lay-bys for heavy goods vehicles.

«When temperature restrictions are in force — for example, at temperatures above +28 degrees — lorries have to stop and wait. But this requires special lay-bys with hard surfaces, sanitary facilities and shelters. They have long been promised, but so far there are no such lay-bys,» he added.

It should be noted that Alla Vorobiova, a member of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, has appealed to the regional patrol police leadership to ensure control over the movement of heavy goods vehicles, which cause traffic jams every morning in the Varvarivka neighbourhood.

The Mykolaiv City Council will also contact the police regarding non-compliance with traffic regulations for heavy goods vehicles crossing the Varvarivskyi Bridge.

It should be noted that in Mykolaiv, major traffic jams regularly form in front of the Varvarivka Bridge, particularly in the mornings and evenings. In February, city residents reported traffic problems caused by road resurfacing works and potholes that appeared after the winter.

City councillor Alla Vorobiova noted that traffic jams on the Varvarivskyi Bridge hinder the movement of ambulances and public transport, making travel difficult. She also appealed to the Mykolaiv Region Patrol Police to organise the passage of heavy goods vehicles at the entrance to the city, near the village of Vesniane, at 15–20-minute intervals to avoid traffic jams.