Tallinn Deputy Mayor Vladimir Svet (Center) said that new cycle lanes are being built on streets such as Lastekodu tänav and Peterburi tee, with construction work in both locations due to begin this year. In the Sikupill area, there are plans to make the intersection of Majaksa tänav and Lasnamäe tänav safer, as well as to build a new section of cycle path between the intersection and the Pallasti bridge.

"In the case of Peterburi tee, it is worth mentioning that, given that it is a major road, there are plans to build two-way cycle lanes on both sides of the street, so that cyclists do not have to cross the road to change direction," Svet said.

In a similar vein, the city is also continuing the work it started last year to make downtown public transport stops safer for cyclists. Svet said that from Tõnismägi onwards, the construction of a cycle path will continue along Kaarli puiestee towards Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak), where the public transport stops are located. The Mere puiestee stop will also be rebuilt.

The city is additionally expected to start construction work on several light traffic tunnels this year. These will mainly be built on Paldiski maantee, while later in the year, the construction of tunnels on Endla, or in other words, the Kristiine viaduct and Tartu manatee is expected to start.

Svet said that some cycle paths are already under construction on Hobujaama tänav for instance and in the Old Harbor (Vanasadam) tram line area. A small number of cycle lanes will also be created in connection with the construction of the Tondi level crossing, allowing for the future construction of separate cycle lanes on both Tondi tänav and Kotka tänav.

Some of the streets to be upgraded to include cycle lanes, are still in the process of being redesigned, including Rahumäe tee, Linnu tee and Ristiku tänav. The city is also preparing to reconstruct a section of Paldiski maantee near the revamped Hipodroomi  quarter, stretching from the Hipodroomi junction to Mooni tänav.

This year's city budget also includes €200,000 for the design of a cycle lane on Tehnika tänav in the Uus Maailm district. According to Svet, the city plans to build a separate cycle lane between  the chestnut alley and the railway embankment on Tehnika tänav next year.

Similarly, design work on Tulika tänav, which connects the intersections of Sõle and Kristiine, is set to continue, with a preliminary design already having been made public in 2018. At that time, the potential removal of a lane on the busy street was foreseen.

However, Svet said it was not yet clear whether the lane would actually disappear, nor whether the design would even be finalized this year.

"There are additional conditions imposed by the network operators, that mean we will have to redesign. At the same time, the city's transport authority has asked us to take into account certain changes at the Sõle junction. I think we will be able to talk about the final traffic management system there once we are ready to show the draft to residents for feedback. Obviously this issue of lanes is going to be a topical one there. It is important for us that there is no loss of public transport on Tulika tänav because Tulika tänav is an important artery for public transport," said Svet.

Svet also said that designs are still needed for Liivalaia tänav, as well as sections of Tartu maantee, Pärnu maantee and Narva maantee. According to the deputy mayor, the new light traffic route on Tartu maantee will connect the light traffic tunnels with Lastekodu tänav in the future.

Opposition: Cycle paths being built too haphazardly

According to Pärtel-Peeter Pere, chair of the Reform Party group in Tallinn City Council, the way cycle paths in the capital are being developed cannot be considered satisfactory, as they are still haphazard, intermittent and end abruptly.

For example, while the city has built a proper cycle path at the Tõnismägi bus stop, both before and after it, the path remains incomplete and dangerous.

Pere said that the city is not following the cycling strategy, which was drawn up in 2017. "There's a map, an order of work, the width of the roads – everything. But it doesn't have a financial cap, and that financial cap is incidental to the strategy, just like all road construction in this city," he said.

Karl Sander Kase, chair of Isamaa's group in Tallinn City Council, also said that the city is not following the cycling strategy and that in general the city administration is making a lot of arbitrary decisions when it comes to urban planning.

For example, the city government recently decided to start rebuilding trolleybus lines, despite there being nothing about this in the budget strategy or city budget, according to Kase.

"This is another decision that came out of the blue. Urban planning is completely chaotic," said Kase.

Kase: City lacks holistic vision

According to Kase, the city lacks a holistic vision of how to develop its transport systems. For example, while last month the municipality presented plans for the Liivalaia tram line, there was no talk of car or bicycle traffic, according to Kase.

"In fact, instead of doing PR, the city should be thinking about how, when they come up with a concept or an investment plan, the whole public transport network ought be tackled at the same time. Then, in the same presentation, they should also talk about a solution that involves not only trams but also public transport, car traffic and cycle paths. At the presentation of the Liivalaia tram line, only the tram line was mentioned, but presumably, if a tramway is built there, there will be less space left for car or bicycle traffic," said Kase.

According to Pärtel-Peeter Pere, the pace of development of cycle paths definitely needs to be stepped up. Kase also said that the construction of cycle paths has been too slow.

"Look at the roadworks and congestion now. If people had the opportunity to get on their bikes or put their schoolchildren on them, we would have fewer cars in the city center. Those drivers who can't get around without a car would have a much easier time too. Everybody would benefit if the pace of cycle lane construction in the city center was as it should be," said Pere.

Vladimir Svet said the city needs to build road infrastructure in a gradual manner.

"The respected opposition politicians should understand that either they want us to dig up the whole city all at once, or they want us to have traffic in the city. If you want to build cycle lanes in a dense urban space, you often have to partially block off the traffic. When we did this last year, these same people were deeply concerned that the city was building too much and inconveniencing drivers," the deputy mayor said.

According to its mobility plan, which was adopted in the fall, Tallinn has set a target of building more than 300 kilometers of cycle lanes by 2035, up from the 108 kilometers in 2022. The proportion of Tallinners, who cycle to their main destination is expected to increase more than tenfold by

A survey of cycling habits in Tallinn conducted in the fall showed that the number of cyclists in the capital had almost doubled in 2023.

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