Tallinn to expand electric scooter parking areas next year
Following a successful pilot project in cooperation with electric scooter rental services Bolt and Tuul, the City of Tallinn plans to expand designated scooter parking areas next year. The aim is to arrange parking in the city for micro-mobility vehicles in a way that makes things safer for pedestrians.
Tallinn Deputy Mayor Vladimir Svet (Center) reported that residents were generally satisfied with the new arrangement, as organized parking for scooters provided more space for pedestrians.
"The objective was to find solutions for ensuring pedestrian safety, as carelessly parked scooters have been a major concern for people with mobility issues, the elderly, and parents with strollers. The project results were positive in this regard," said Svet.
"In collaboration with the companies, we have come up with preliminary conclusions and discussed potential areas for expanding this parking scheme. Final decisions will be made after further analysis before the start of the next season, but it is clear that the parking zone will expand somewhat," Svet added.
During the pilot project, the parking behavior of scooter users was monitored. It was also determined which markings worked best and what else should be considered when planning future parking areas.
Henri Arras, head of public policy at Bolt, reflected positively on the collaboration, observing that the impact on usage was minimal.
"The pilot project demonstrated that when a dense network of parking spots is available, users respond well to designated parking areas. It's crucial to assess each street corner individually, considering people's movement patterns and needs, to develop a parking network that ensures the nearest parking spot is always conveniently located at the end of a ride," Arras said.
Kevin Reisenbuk, product manager at Tuul, also considered the pilot project a success.
"We observed that location-specific parking restrictions noticeably enhanced the cityscape, while customers positively embraced these changes. Although there was a minor reduction in ride numbers due to decreased flexibility, we believe our contribution as an operator is significant for collectively improving the urban environment. We plan to maintain designated parking areas in the city center and collaborate on exploring other areas where we can test this model during the upcoming season," Reisenbuk said.
During the test period, 126 areas specifically designated for scooter parking were established in the city center. The designs were created by the Tallinn Transport Department in cooperation with Tuul and Bolt.
The pilot area was bounded by Toompuiestee, Kaarli Puiestee, Pärnu Maantee, Laikmaa tänav, Rävala Puiestee, and Liivalaia, Suur-Ameerika, Endla, and Tehnika streets.
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Editor: Michael Cole