A study compiled by the company Liikuvusagentuur focused on how residents will commute to work using public transportation in the future and what changes are needed on the main roads of Tallinn's City Center district and the near vicinity to ensure better accessibility, achieve Tallinn's strategic goals of creating more environmentally friendly traffic and provide high-quality public spaces.

According to the study, a higher-quality public space means supporting the growth of walking, cycling, light vehicle use and public transportation, which in turn implies a reduction in car traffic.

The study addresses the potential impact on traffic in the city center and across the entire city if car traffic were to be limited in Tallinn's central area. It notes that "if both entering the city center and passing through it by car become more cumbersome, while the speed of public transportation is increased through high-capacity, direct main lines that expand to currently uncovered corridors, and priority lanes for public transport are established on all main roads, this will lead to a shift in the modal share."

To achieve the capital's strategic goals, which include having 70 percent of residents in the Tallinn region use public transportation, bicycles or walking for their daily commutes, the study highlights the need to reduce car traffic. As alternatives, it proposes increased use of public transportation, cycling and walking. To facilitate this shift, the street space must be designed in a way that allows public transportation to move more quickly and ensures that pedestrians and cyclists feel safer.

1+1 lanes, speeds limited to 30 or 40 kilometer per hour in city center

The study outlines general principles for street design, suggesting that main roads should have no more than four lanes, with two dedicated to public transportation.

The analysis justifies this distribution by stating that it would provide space for other necessary elements on the street: walking and cycling paths, greenery, street furniture, activity areas, businesses and short-term parking. "Reducing the number of lanes for car traffic helps maintain a traffic volume that does not degrade the quality of the urban environment. A solution with only one lane for car traffic makes pedestrian crossings and turning maneuvers safer and supports lower driving speeds," the analysis notes.

Another principle proposed in the study is to implement a speed limit of 30 to 40 kilometers per hour on all streets in the city center. "Based on the experience of various European cities, lower speeds allow for smoother traffic flow, improved safety, reduced noise and lower emissions, while maintaining or even improving street capacity and peak-hour travel times," the study's authors write.

To ensure compliance with speed limits, the analysis suggests introducing speed bumps on main roads.

The report acknowledges that speed bumps have not been used on main roads in Tallinn thus far, primarily due to their disruptive effect on public transport. However, if all main roads are equipped with priority lanes for public transportation, it would be possible to use raised pedestrian crossings and speed bumps to control car speeds. The analysis adds that the broader use of speed bumps in urban spaces would require prior analysis and agreements between city departments.

Cargo bikes suitable for transporting goods in the city center

The study also recommends another significant change for car traffic: converting the main roads in the city center from through-traffic routes to access-oriented streets. This would involve adding short-term parking and loading zones on these streets to improve accessibility for passengers and goods, which has previously been restricted due to the prioritization of through traffic on major roads.

"For car users, it is necessary to have short-term parking spaces on main roads to improve access for both shared and private vehicles. Additionally, short-term parking spots are essential to eliminate the need for delivery vehicles – whether trucks, cargo bikes or autonomous vehicles – to park on sidewalks," the analysis states.

To make freight transport more sustainable, the study suggests that larger delivery vehicles should not enter the city center. Instead, zero-emission vehicles, such as cargo bikes, should be used for further transportation of goods from designated transfer points. "Research shows that cargo bikes are faster and more efficient than delivery vans, while also reducing carbon emissions by 96 to 98 percent," the study notes.

Furthermore, the study recommends creating dedicated loading zones on both main roads and other streets specifically for goods delivery.

Intersections need to be more compact

The analysis highlights that, according to Tallinn's cycling strategy, bike lanes must be present on all main roads in the city center. These bike lanes should be separated from other traffic and should be one-way, with lanes on both sides of the street.

"Two-way bike lanes on one side of the street complicate intersection designs and make them difficult for road users to navigate, thereby reducing the safety of cyclists. Additionally, two-way bike lanes pose challenges with intersecting access points, as drivers find it difficult to account for cyclists coming from both directions, or they may forget to do so altogether," the analysis states.

For pedestrians, the analysis suggests that all future intersections should be designed to be compact, which would reduce vehicle turning speeds and shorten the distance pedestrians need to cross the roadway.

"Compactness should be a key design principle to avoid creating pedestrian-unfriendly intersections, such as those currently found at Kristiine and Hipodroomi," the analysis notes.

More public transport lanes

Tallinn city center is accessed by seven major traffic corridors: Reidi tee, Narva maantee, Gonsiori tänav, Tartu maantee, Juhkentali tänav, Pärnu maantee, Endla tänav and Paldiski maantee. These are connected by the Jõe-Pronksi-Liivalaia-Suur-Ameerika corridor. According to the analysis, peak-hour traffic volumes on these corridors range from 500 to 1,100 cars per hour per lane. The variation is due to the differing levels of intersection capacity saturation.

With an average occupancy of 1.3 people per car, the passenger capacity of a single traffic lane is estimated at 1,400 people per hour.

Considering Tallinn's articulated buses can carry 125 people at peak capacity and trams 186 people, to transport the same number of people that a traffic lane can handle, a public transportation lane would need to accommodate at least 12 articulated buses per hour (with a five-minute interval) or 7.5 trams per hour (with an eight-minute interval).

The analysis points out, "There is a significant difference in the external impacts on transportation and the quality of the urban environment, depending on whether 1,100 cars, 12 buses or 7.5 trams pass through a street in one direction per hour. Replacing a traffic lane with a public transport lane on main roads is a highly effective strategy for achieving strategic goals locally."

To ensure the capacity and speed of public transport in the city center, the study recommends dedicated public transport lanes, shared by buses and trams, located in the middle of all main roads. These main roads should be served by interval-based routes using only high-capacity vehicles, such as large buses or trolley-trams.

According to the study:

• Under the urban-focused housing construction scenario, Tallinn's population is projected to grow from 443,039 residents in 2021 to 535,729 residents by 2050.
• Data from the 2021 census shows that 269,644 people were employed in Tallinn, of whom 180,735 were Tallinn residents. This means that approximately 89,000 workers commute to Tallinn daily from outside the city.
• The population of the City Center (Kesklinn) is expected to increase from 65,372 to 99,391, a growth of 34,019 residents, or 52 percent.
• The population of the districts bordering the City Center is projected to grow by 38,790 residents by 2050.

Data compiled based on an enterprise study and migration forecast.

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