The electronic queue booking system has been in operation in Latvia for a week, allowing vehicles to be pre-registered in a queue for crossing the border to Russia and Belarus. Despite the electronic pre-registration, many drivers still arrive at Terehova crossing point even several days in advance, Latvian Radio reports on 22 October.
One week after the introduction of the electronic queue, the situation at one of the three border crossing points on Latvia’s eastern external border in Terehova has changed. The queue of lorries on the highway, which was several kilometres long, is no more. However, several hundred trucks are still parked in specially equipped parking lots at the border checkpoint. Some drivers spend a day here, others as long as 8 days.
“We registered in the queue six days ago and made a mistake when filling in the paperwork. We can’t cancel our registration, and now we are waiting for our queue to pass at eleven tomorrow. Only then will we be able to re-register. And wait here again for eight days,” said one driver.
The technological provider of the electronic queue booking system is the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre. Vineta Sprugaine, a spokesperson for the LVRTC, said that currently there should be no queues at the border, because by registering in the queue, drivers receive information about when and at what time they need to arrive, without having to leave beforehand. However, the first week of operation of the electronic queue has also shown the most pressing problems.
“If there are errors in the driver’s name, date of birth and document details, the driver can immediately log in to the system and change these details. But if there is an error in the registration number or make of the car, then he has to go to the Road Transport Directorate and ask for the registration to be cancelled, and once that is done, he can apply for a new registration in the queue,” Sprugaine explained.
Although the main objective of the electronic queue is to eliminate lines on the highway to the border crossing point, a week after its introduction, some drivers are still parking their cars on the highway.
The situation is monitored by the State Police, which has already launched 8 administrative proceedings in recent days.
“Some drivers do not comply with the requirement to park where they are instructed, but leave their vehicles on the road, endangering road safety,” said police spokeswoman Jūlija Jurāne.
The monitoring and administration of the queue of cars at the border is now handled by the Latvian State Radio and Television Centre, the Road Transport Directorate and the State Police, which has significantly facilitated the work of border guards, said Alvis Donskis, chief of the Terehova border checkpoint.
“Before, the Border Guard was responsible for administering the queue, issuing control vouchers and allowing trucks into the territory. Now we are only responsible for what happens at the border crossing. At least there is some sort of order, there is a set time when people enter. We do not have to think about queue control. This is a relief for the border guards,” Donskis said.
Since the electronic registration for border crossing started in October, more than 3,000 cars registered in the system every day, most of them in Terehova.
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