Clearing snow from sidewalks will cost Tallinn €11 million each year
Tallinn City Council will pay €11 million a year to clear snow from all the sidewalks it owns if members approve a regulation on Thursday. In the future, salt can also be used on light traffic roads in exceptional circumstances.
Last week, the city government agreed to take over snow and ice removal on all the roads it owns from this coming winter. Until now, it has been down to property owners to keep the area outside their homes clear of snow.
The change will not affect property owners living on private roads.
District governments will be responsible for implementing the measure.
According to the explanatory memorandum, the maintenance costs will come to approximately €11 million a year. Manual road maintenance will cost €5.76 million annually, machine-based maintenance €1.54 million, and snow removal €3.86 million.
The estimates assume that 60 percent of winter maintenance will be done manually and 40 percent with machines, and are based on the calendar period from October to March.
A total of 800,000 square meters will require winter maintenance.
The memorandum notes that more machines will be used for winter maintenance than before. The city will need to conduct a procurement process to find a contractor for sidewalk maintenance.
The four-party coalition was criticised last year for fully implementing a snow-clearing regime across the whole city. Members had promised to do so when taking office in spring 2024.
Previous governments have put the cost of snow clearing between €27 million and €15 million.
Light traffic roads may be salted in exceptional cases
Another new rule will allow chlorides, commonly known as salt, to be put down on Tallinn's light traffic roads in exceptional circumstances.
Approval from the Tallinn Environment and Public Utilities Department will also be required.
Until now, the use of ash and chlorides for snow and ice removal on light traffic roads has been banned.
The regulation justifies the change by stating that in severe and rapidly changing weather conditions, the use of chlorides is sometimes unavoidable to ensure safety, as they work most quickly and effectively under such conditions and are the most readily available. Freezing rain is cited as an example of such conditions.
The ban on using ash for snow and ice removal will remain in effect.
If the city council approves the changes on Thursday, they will take effect on October 1.
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Editor: Marko Tooming, Helen Wright
