Kyiv Traffic To Halt During Nationwide Minute Of Silence

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was announced by the Kyiv City State Administration; the Kyiv City Council supported the decision, according to Ukrinform.

“Every day at 9:00 a.m., during the nationwide minute of silence, traffic in Kyiv will be halted for 60 seconds. Where technically possible, traffic lights will be switched to 'all red,'” the statement reads.

The draft resolution was developed pursuant to a protocol directive from Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko in response to a request from Kyiv City Council members who are currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It is noted that transportation experts analyzed various scenarios for halting traffic during the minute of silence, conducted the necessary simulations, and determined a mechanism that will allow this to be done in a controlled and safe manner, without unduly disrupting transportation operations. This decision is intended to demonstrate that even in a large city, remembrance need not be a mere formality but rather a collective act, and that Kyiv is capable of pausing at a crucial moment, behaving with dignity, and setting an example.

As explained by Kostiantyn Usov, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration for the Exercise of Self-Government Powers and a member of the Kyiv City Council, this decision is intended to make the minute of silence in the capital truly visible and turn it into a daily tradition of remembrance.

He added that the city must keep moving. People must go to work, to school, and about their business. Kyiv cannot bring life to a standstill. But once a day, Kyiv can pause for one minute and remember the price at which this life continues.

“We cannot bring back those who have fallen in battle. But we can ensure that their sacrifice does not fade into the background. That it does not get lost in the city's noise. So that in the capital of Ukraine, remembrance is visible, tangible, and shared. This is a simple yet very important urban standard of respect. And respect for those who have fallen in Kyiv will not be mere words. It will take shape, action, order, and daily consistency,” Usov emphasized.

In the first phase, traffic will be halted in the central part of the capital, where the system is already technically ready: on European Square, Khreshchatyk Street, Baseina Street, Bessarabsky Passage, Velyka Vasylkivska Street, Ukrainian Heroes Square, Yevhen Chykalenko Street, Taras Shevchenko Boulevard, Volodymyrska Street, and Prorizna Street.

In the future, as traffic signal systems become technically ready, this measure will be extended to other streets and areas of Kyiv.

During traffic stops, the city's public address system will broadcast a voice announcement and a countdown until the end of the minute of silence.

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The mechanism will take the security situation into account: traffic will not be halted for 60 seconds while an“air raid alert” signal is active or being announced.

Public and private ground public transportation operators will be informed of the new procedure. The date on which traffic in the capital will begin to be halted during the nationwide minute of silence will be announced separately.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed a law honoring the memory of Ukrainians who died as a result of the Russian Federation's armed aggressio. The nationwide minute of silence is to be observed daily at 9:00 a.m.

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