Another Disincentive for Tallinn Drivers Announced
The city government has announced that a main hub for cross-town rush hour traffic in Tallinn will be closed to cars, which is likely to be seen by critics of similar closure decisions this month as adding insult to injury.
The closure, set to take effect later this week once pavement markings are painted, affects Theater Square, a thoroughfare with a grassy median between the Solaris shopping mall, the Estonia Theater and the Foreign Ministry.
Only public transport vehicles will be permitted to drive into the area, said Raepress, the city's press agency, on July 24.
The area is used for transit for commuters from the southern and western suburbs heading to Lasnamäe and adjacent districts, and vice versa.
In an attempt at compromise, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Taavi Aas said yesterday that he supported an idea advanced by a columnist to establish a high-occupancy vehicle system for Tallinn where cars full of passengers would be allowed on to some bus lanes, provided legislation could be changed and the police could enforce it.
Kristopher Rikken