The streets of Skopje today were full of traffic jams and frustrated drivers which were caused after the ring road was closed due to the filming of the French film “The Fund”. This created narrow stretch of cars in the streets and boulevards throughout the city centre.
The traffic jam is most intense on Boulevard Nikola Karev and Plasticharska Street, and their is a long line of vehicles piling up on Boulevard Ilinden.
“Nowhere in the world could you close the motorway. Especially for such a long period of time, 37 days, ” protested SDSM today.
“Comparisons to countries with developed traffic infrastructures is pointless, as they offer quick alternatives to closed sections. With the closing of the bypass, the entire freight traffic is passing through Skopje. All trucks transiting will pass through the city centre. This increased traffic chaos on the streets, especially Nikola Karev, commonly known as Plasticharska will only cause new damage to the capital. In addition, the increased traffic will cause even greater air pollution in Skopje, which has long been the most polluted city in Europe”, Blagoj Bočvarska told a press conference who is the chairman of the Committee on Transport and Communications and a member of the executive board of SDSM.
French production company “Chic movie,” which has been filming the Skopje bypass, the pay toll in Petrovec, and a section of the motorway near Gradska, will pay the state a total of 17.5 million denars (284,552 euros) of which 4.8 million denars are for reconstruction of the old road Veles – Gradska, which will redirect traffic.
Macedonia would have made 12,7 million from the pay tolls if the ring road had remained open.
