Traffic in Central Tallinn and Kalamaja, for example, is heavy due in part to the fact that parents are driving their children further from home to school and kindergarten, as childcare institutions and schools in the capital are currently very unevenly distributed, Tallinn Deputy Mayor Madle Lippus (SDE) said in an appearance on Vikerraadio's "Vikerhommik" on Wednesday. Lippus is the deputy mayor responsible for urban planning.

She said that the Urban Planning Department and Education Department are now working together to map out the city's childcare institutions by this fall in order to better understand where more of them may be needed.

The Urban Planning Department will then look into where new schools and kindergartens could physically be located, after which it can then continue cooperating with the Education Department regarding how to actually establish them there.

"This isn't a quick process, but we're committed to more evenly distributing kindergartens and schools in the city," Lippus said. "This is a crucial means of actually reducing forced movement."

Also currently being drawn up is Tallinn's education development plan, and the deputy mayor is hopeful that the city will have more answers this fall or next spring regarding where exactly new central areas will be located in developing communities that will bring various services closer to home for their residents.

In addition to the location of schools and kindergartens, another factor impacting car usage is the public transport network, which is likewise currently under review by the city.

Many public transport routes date back quite far, but people's needs have changed, and the transport network needs to meet new needs, Lippus said.

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