2 June 2008 | Horse-drawn carriages pose problems to the traffic in Skopje and other larger towns in Macedonia, similarly to other Balkan countries' capitals, national media reported today.

Citizens of Skopje were troubled by the carts’ not following traffic rules, causing pollution and posing a threat to other traffic participants, according to report by the A1 television.

Some of the solutions suggested by the report included license plates for the carts and holding those who drive them responsible for respecting traffic rules.

In Skopje, like in other Balkan cities, horse-drawn carts are used predominantly by people of Roma ethnicity, most of whom go around collecting scrap and paper that they hand in for recycling. As the A1 report pointed out, banning or confiscating the carts would deprive these people of their means of livelihood.

The Balkan countries’ other capitals, which face similar problems, are trying to deal with the issue in different ways. In Romania, for example, horse-drawn carts are banned from the streets and boulevards of the capital Bucharest and from national highways.

In Sofia, carts – which experts claim now number between 3,000 and 4,000, were initially banned from the centre of the city and many of its large boulevards. However, last summer, the Romani Baht non-governmental organization complained that the ban effectively prevented the residents of the Fakulteta, Hristo Botev and Filipovtsi neighbourhoods – three districts almost entirely inhabited by Roma, from leaving these areas. The ban, therefore, was determined to serve as a basis for racial segregation, and now includes only the central part of Sofia.

Recent reports in Bulgarian media highlighted that the carts are now better regulated, with over 300 carts checked and nearly 30 tickets written for breaking the ban since the beginning of the year. Law-makers, however, still claim there is a need for a more detailed law mandating the carts’ participation in Sofia’s traffic.

The A1 report gave as a positive example the way that Belgrade has dealt with the problem. As part of a social programme, all the carts in the city were replaced by another kind of cheap transportation that the owners could use.

The full effects of bans and the way the Balkan capitals chose to deal with the problem remain to be seen. But for now, don’t be surprised if you see a horse-drawn cart in front of the National Assembly building in Sofia and be extra careful when driving at night.

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