Government wants to change the street marking system

The working group, appointed by the Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, offers to change the street marking system for the more European one. The boards with the names of the streets from private houses are to be moved to the pillars located on the state-owned ground, informed the daily “Vilniaus diena”

Such an offer was made by the working group leaded by the Prime Minister’s counselor Laimonasa Talat – Kelpša. “It involves the expenditures for the local governments, which is why we do not offer one concrete deadline, when exactly it is due to be finished. We simply suggest that the new procedure of marking streets should be implemented gradually, starting from the newly-built or renovated streets” – noted Talat – Kelpša.

In the opinion of the Prime Minister’s counselor the presents solution is out-of-date. “The current boards with the names of the streets are hung irrespective of the owners’ will who are presented with a fait accompli. However, in West Europe this is a problem of the Government and the local government authorities but not of the private owner” – explained another Prime Minister’s counselor Gabrielius Lansbergis.

According to some experts, the change in the marking of the streets will allow to solve at least partly the problem of Polish street names . In such a case only the name which is placed on the pillar will be regarded as the official one, however the boards, which have been hung by the owner of the house will not be  public markings as the regulations of the Bill of the National Language will not apply to them. As a result, the owner will not be penalized for this.

Source: http://pl.delfi.lt/aktualia/litwa/rzad-chce-wprowadzic-zmiany-w-oznakowaniu-ulic.d?id=59440993

Tłumaczenie Zofia Kowalska w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Zofia Kowalska within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.