Noise levels in various parts of Tallinn exceed recommended limits, primarily due to heavy traffic.

The latest study, conducted by the University of Tartu two years ago, found that around 10 percent of the population suffers from constant traffic noise and almost half are exposed to excessive noise.

In the meantime, car ownership has increased, and noise levels have likely risen further.

"In several parts of Tallinn, the noise situation is unsatisfactory. When we examine the issue more closely, we see that it is primarily along major roads in all districts of Tallinn, which makes sense because the main source of noise in the city is traffic," Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) told Tuesday's "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Noise also hinders urban development.

Martin Tamme, a board member of the real estate development company Invego, said several developments have not been built in Tallinn as the Health Board has refused to approve planning proposals.

"It is not possible to construct residential buildings along major roads and in the city center because the background noise caused by traffic is too high. As a result, planning approvals for such projects have not been granted in recent years," he said.

"Construction projects have been canceled along Peterburi tee, Tartu maantee, Sõpruse puiestee, and Tööstuse tänav. Essentially, we could list all of Tallinn's main roads. There are several examples along Paldiski maantee. Over the years, there have been dozens of such cases," Tamme told the show.

As new apartments are not being added to the market, prices in Tallinn remain high, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

On Tuesday, the city government adopted a noise reduction action plan. It says the best ways to reduce noise are by promoting public transport and cycling over cars, as well as implementing speed limits.

"The current city government has agreed to keep speed limits as they are — neither increasing nor decreasing them. As part of the noise action plan, we will conduct new measurements, and in the first half of next year, Tallinn will have an updated noise map," said Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform).

"The next city government will then be able to make decisions based on publicly available data. During elections, voters will have the opportunity to support those who want a better city. In my personal opinion, it would be wise to implement a blanket 40 km/h speed limit on major roads in the city center."

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