Tallinn city center roadworks hit nearby companies
For the second year, road construction in the heart of Tallinn has negatively impacted businesses in the construction area. Some have gone bankrupt, while others have seen their visitor numbers halve. The newly elected city government considers the construction planning a failure and aims to avoid repeating these mistakes in future projects.
For nearly 30 years, the Kuldvõtmeke shop in the heart of Tallinn has been a place to repair shoes and make keys. Now, the business faces a challenge as for the second summer in a row, roadworks for the Old City Harbor tram line are happening right outside their door. The noise is significant, and customers have difficulty accessing the shop.
"We have fewer customers. I think if I say half as many, I'm pretty accurate. One customer from Tallinn University said that every time there's a different route to get here. Yes, things are interesting," said Kuldvõtmeke co-owner Markko Petoffer.
A couple of hundred meters away, the front of Nikolay Cafe has just been given a fresh look. While the roadworks in front of the building have ended, the number of visitors has not recovered.
"People are afraid to come to the city center right now because they don't know how the traffic system works, which roads are closed, and which roads are open. There are always traffic jams, so unfortunately, people are afraid to come to the city center, and that's why we don't have as many customers as we did before the reconstruction began," said Nikolay manager Vladislav Movrenko.
In the midst of the construction chaos is also the Tallinna Kaubamaja department store, where access to different sections is limited. For instance, sales in the food department have dropped by 10 percent.
"The impact on visitor numbers has actually been very high. Some entrances – customers have many different entry points – have lost 30 to 40 percent of visitors purely because the movement restrictions are so extensive," said Kaubamaja executive manager Erkki Laugus.
The previous Tallinn city government only offered businesses advertising discounts as compensation. Now Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) intends not to repeat the same planning mistakes in the future.
"In the future, when we plan new works, it is important to ensure not only continuous normal access to businesses and shops but also to organize the sequence of works so that if there is a possibility to complete sidewalks and bike paths first, and not as the last things, we will certainly demand it," said Pere.
All construction work related to the Old City Harbor tram line is expected to be completed early next year.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Marcus Turovski
