In the course of public discussions on design conditions, Tiina Leetmaa, head of construction rights and activity permits at the City of Tallinn's environment and public utilities department, noted that the bike lanes currently running parallel to Tehnika tänav, a major thoroughfare which skirts the west of the city center, will be removed once the new lane is finished.

This will separate cyclists from four-wheeled traffic better, in the approach to the Tehnika Endla/Luise intersection (see map).

A present the cycle lanes are quite precarious and the street tree-lined and so not very well-lit.

"One of the goals is to convert bike paths into dedicated cycle lanes," she said. "We will no longer see bike lanes running along the road."

The work is being supported via the European Regional Development Fund, through a sustainable mobility initiative.

Taavi Piller oversees cycle lane planning at Tallinn's environment and public utilities department.

He told ERR that the public display of the design conditions took place in August. And the feedback collected during that time is now being analyzed.

Ot will be taken into account when issuing the design requirements, if necessary.

This would be followed by a design tender, "during which an initial sketch with specific solutions will be prepared," Piller said.

This means the city government currently has no detailed plans for the new bike lane's exact route.

It is also unclear how cyclists will cross the Endla and Tehnika streets intersection (see map).

Based on the current crosswalks configuration, cyclists coming from the Tehnika side would have to cross the road no fewer than eight times and wait at seven sets of traffic lights before they reached the other side of the intersection.

"The specific solutions for crossing intersections will be clarified during the design process," Piller added.

One pre-condition is that the existing greenery must be preserved as much as possible, meaning the horse chestnut trees which line Tehnika must remain untouched.

The City of Tallinn plans to build a new bike lane on Tehnika to replace the current set-up, which runs along both sides of the road but is relatively narrow.

The new plan would have a cycle lane on the side of the road heading from the Pärnu mnt viaduct, towards Endla and Paldiski mnt.

Cyclists traveling in the opposite direction will use the area between the chestnut tree alley and the railway.

According to Piller, once the sketch is complete, a public discussion of the proposed solution will go head, after which the main project will be drafted and also presented to the public.

Only can a building permit be applied for, and a construction tender held.

Construction of the new cycle lane could start in late 2025 at the earliest, though more likely in 2026, Piller said.

Design conditions also include plans to update technical networks, crosswalks, bus stops, sidewalks, ramps, and the landscaping on Tehnika.

Bike lanes were demarcated, up to a point, several years ago with bright red surfacing, but this has tended to erode, particularly during winter, and is not always respected, or even noticed, by all road users and pedestrians.

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