Lukashenko: 'Not by bans' — rethink car parking in Minsk

"Not by bans." Lukashenko suggested thinking about how to deal with the "ocean of cars" near residential buildings in Minsk.

Alexander Lukashenko noted that the environment in Minsk sometimes creates a "terrible impression" due to the overwhelming number of private vehicles parked near homes.

"There's a building, a small park in front of it, up to the roadway — nice, beautiful. But this is rare. In other cases, it's an ocean of cars. Some are dirty, grimy. It's not very attractive when a building is淹没 in a row of these vehicles. We need to think about what to do. We can't get rid of cars altogether. But we must consider how to manage these parking areas. In front of and near homes, people should still be able to breathe clean air — trees, shrubs, flowers, flowerbeds, and so on."

The head of state proposed considering long-term solutions to relieve residential areas of cars and move parking farther away. "Gradually, not tomorrow, not by bans. But move these parking lots somewhere further away. So that people, especially children and the elderly, can go out and sit on a bench. Therefore, urban improvement is a very important issue for Minsk," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko.