RIGA, Dec 17 (LETA) - Environment Protection and Regional Development Minister Arturs Toms Pless (For Development/For) has signed a decree on suspending the regulations of Jurmala local council, to start charging entrance toll on motor vehicles entering the town year-round from April 1, and increasing its size, LETA learned from the ministry.

According to the council's decision on September 30, entrance fee should be charged all year round instead of five months a year, and the price has been increased from EUR 2 to EUR 3.

Pless said that the ministry had asked the local council to revise this decision. "Unfortunately, the local council has not assessed the intensity of the tourism sector, transit traffic flow, air pollution.  The council has not assessed the overall necessity of these regulations and public interest in this respect. Therefore the ministry has issued a decree to suspend these regulations," the minister said.

The local authority said earlier that the resort city is changing the regulation in order to reduce the intensity of transit traffic through Jurmala and encourage people to use more environmentally friendly modes of transport.