"It has to be possible to drive smoothly in this city. The Reform Party will undoubtedly stand up for the fact that it must be possible to travel smoothly by car in Tallinn in summer and winter," said Pere.

"However, the congestion will disappear once we have a functioning public transport network. My good colleague Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) has spoken about these changes and they will be implemented during the school holidays, at the end of October," Pere said.

"Every person, from eight to 80 years old, must be able to move independently, safely and conveniently in this city. Whether they walk or use public transport. We stand up for people's freedom to choose their own safe and efficient way of getting around," stressed Pere.

Pere said that although the media had given the impression that he is at constant loggerheads with Tallinn Deputy Mayor for Transport Kristjan Järvan, this is certainly not the case. "We're kidding around," Pere said.

"I have a perfectly civil understanding with him. It's sad to say, but I probably spend more time with him during the week than I do with my family," Pere said jokingly.

"I would like to underline that this is a false dichotomy that has arisen between different people – the motorist versus the cyclist or the pedestrian. We are all human beings – whether we drive a car or use public transport," he added.

Can Tallinn road works be made more efficient?

In an interview with ERR in August, Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said that it is certainly possible to make road works in the city more efficient. One way to do this could be by considering more appropriate deadlines for builders so that major junctions are not closed for weeks at a time without any construction activity taking place.

ERR asked Pere what has been done about this.

Pere stressed first of all that Estonian builders are up to the mark and have the required knowledge and skills to construct a decent infrastructure.

"We will make a fundamental change next year, when we go into new contracts with new objects, in order that we work wisely and do not procrastinate," Pere said.

The deputy mayor added that Tallinn is using new technology to lay down the new asphalt sidewalks, which enable the process to be completed faster and with higher quality. Pere said that the amendment to Tallinn's public order code, which the city is currently planning, will also make future roadworks faster.

"Roadworks will also get better in the future, we will take things to the next level where we can," Pere said.

ERR asked Pere in which instances Tallinn City Government would not give permission for roadworks or works that require closing or digging up a street to companies such as Tallinna Vesi or Utilitas for example.

"This authorization can still be cancelled if justified. We cannot act arbitrarily. We're playing with taxpayers' money here and following the regulations," explained Pere.

"If we have a reason to say to Tallinna Vesi, 'please don't come now, you can't get a construction permit yet because… this year, for example, I cancelled, within the limits of my competence, the Tartu maantee viaduct – that is where the previous municipality would have liked to build cycle tunnels, on either side of the Tartu maantee viaduct in Ülemiste. I didn't do it because we would have had to close the citybound lane completely for three months. In order to do the tunnelling through that dam. We would also have had to take the roadway out for the piping. We do not need to do that now, and perhaps we can plan for it more intelligently in the future. We certainly will not do it next year. We have an agreement with Utilitas. So we've had the opportunity to do away with things that would have made traffic worse in the city," Pere said.

Pere also said that the construction of the Vanasadama (Old Harbor) tramway and the Tondi flyover will be completed by the end of October. The Tondi intersection will be open to traffic, though construction work there will continue for a little longer. The Vanasadama tram will begin operating in the new year.

"We would like to get things done faster"

ERR then asked Pere if he is satisfied with the decisions and actions of Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) or whether he would have done things differently if he were mayor himself.

"We are from different political parties. Certainly we would like to do things faster, to be more flexible in our approach and to listen more to the business community, what their needs are," Pere said.

"Jevgeni Ossinovski is a pleasure to work with. I'm sure he will be able to keep this very broad coalition of ours together to achieve success. But there are certainly things our party would do differently, such as centralization," Pere said.

"I don't see any reason why, for example, the Nõmme Cultural Center should be run from somewhere like Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak). Why is it necessary to have this kind of centralization? We have a clear identity in every settlement, especially in Nõmme," Pere said.

Pere would also like to see snow removal centralized in one building. "Personally, I would have liked, but because of Ossinovski I could not, to centralize all these ten-plus contracts for snow removal, that the city has, under KEKO (Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department), because here we could manage it better," he said.

Speaking about the upcoming local council elections, Pere, who is the Reform Party's regional leader in Tallinn, said the goal is to win the mayor's seat in the capital.

"Of course, we are aiming for the mayor's position, because we want Tallinn to be and remain an Estonian-speaking and Estonian-minded city. That may sound like a slogan, but this is the most important task of the current and certainly the next city administration," said Pere.

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