When Vilnius first began redesigning its streets, the move sparked a heated debate. Discussions of street narrowing dominated election campaigns and polarised political opponents. Today, however, the number of redesigned streets continues to grow. Experts interviewed by LRT.lt agree that as cities expand, streets must be adapted to residents’ needs while ensuring alternative ways of getting around.
Streets as more than traffic corridors
“As urbanists, we always start from the principle that streets are the city’s main public space. If you added together the total area of squares, courtyards and parks, it would still be less than the space taken up by streets. This means that streets hold much of the city’s untapped cultural, economic and social potential,” urban planner Martynas Marozas told LRT.lt.
Architect Michiel van Driessche, founder of Felixx Landscape Architects in Groningen, stresses that with growing urban populations, redesigning streets is essential: “We build more densely to bring people closer together. But homes alone are not enough – residents need places to walk, sit, exercise and meet.”
Reducing traffic lanes and parking, he says, only works if alternatives are provided: “Before restricting cars, you must first ensure strong public transport and cycling infrastructure. Otherwise, residents may resist the change.”
City streets aren't meant for tanks or combine harvesters
Although Lithuanian cities have only recently begun redesigning their streets around residents’ needs, some cities abroad have a long tradition of “humanising” streets. “Groningen was one of the first cities where car traffic in the centre was restricted as early as the 1960s, with some streets transformed into public spaces,” said Van Driessche.
Urban planner Martynas Marozas notes that, unlike most Lithuanian streets, cities in the Netherlands and Sweden were laid out centuries ago.
“For example, Amsterdam was built on lowlands and marshes, so as early as the 16th and 17th centuries there was a need to design the city carefully. That is why we can now speak of a centuries-old planning tradition. By contrast, most Lithuanian streets were designed during the Soviet occupation to standards that assumed lanes had to accommodate not only cars but also tanks,” he stressed.
According to Marozas, if city street lanes are as wide as motorways, drivers naturally accelerate more than they should, and the street begins to function like a motorway.
Since 2019, national regulations allow lanes as narrow as 3 metres, down from 3.25. Narrower lanes, explains Vilnius Tech lecturer Rasa Ušpalytė-Vitkūnienė, calm traffic without reducing capacity. They also enable safer crossings, more greenery and public spaces.
All the streets are modernised but not all are humanised
Streets in Lithuanian cities are constantly modernised, but only a fraction are being humanised – redesigned with pedestrians and cyclists in mind. Modernisation usually refers to technical improvements such as resurfacing, pavements, lighting, cycle paths or changes to traffic management. Humanisation, by contrast, means rethinking the space itself – giving more room to people, greenery, benches and safe public areas.
In the past few years, six streets in Vilnius have been fully humanised, including Algirdo, Naugarduko and Taraso Ševčenkos. Data from JUDU, the city’s mobility agency, show traffic volumes fell by 13%, average speeds by 17% and road accidents by 54%. Collisions involving pedestrians dropped 60%, while those involving cyclists and e-scooter users decreased 20%.
Former mayor Remigijus Šimašius insisted that lanes were only narrowed where they exceeded new standards. “We widened pavements, added cycle paths, greenery and even around 500 new parking spaces. These changes made the streets more liveable,” he said.
What's next?
Street modernisation continues. Between 2025 and 2027, 37 streets are due to be redesigned across Vilnius neighbourhoods.
According to JUDU’s head of mobility transformation Jonas Damidavičius, residents and businesses have already been consulted: “Views differ by district, but the overall demand is clear – people want safer, more comfortable streets for walking and cycling.”
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
