When all the cycle lanes are completed it will be possible to ride a bike from the city, over the new bridge, and to the beach. Almost seven kilometers will be built by summer 2025.

The city's new bicycle strategy envisages that by 2030, approximately 20 percent of residents could travel by bicycle. The figure is currently 7 percent.

Deputy Mayor of Pärnu Irina Talviste said the city needs a core network of cycle lanes to encourage more people to ride their bikes. This means creating separate paths for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

There are currently 10 kilometers of bike lanes in the city that are also shared with pedestrians.

"There are no separate cycle lanes in Pärnu, so you cannot actually ride a bicycle separately in traffic today, you'll be lumped in with a pedestrian anyway and the speeds are so different," said cyclist Romet Mägar, and a member of the "Pärnu rattarikkaks" bike enthusiast Facebook group.

By 2030, the city council wants to build 30 kilometers of separate bicycle paths.

"The cycling strategy envisages that cyclists will move with cars because they are in traffic, which means that we will still need to put cycle paths on the road in the future, both as a support and core network," Talviste said.

In the middle of May, Minister of Climate Kristen Michal (Reform) signed a directive allocating almost €14 million to the city of Tartu and €12 million to Pärnu for the construction of bicycle paths under the sustainable urban mobility program.

Pärnu is putting €5 million towards the project and an additional €3 million in the coming years.

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