Maris Lauri (Reform Party) said that regardless of the mode of transport — on foot, by bike, scooter, car or public transport — it must be possible to move according to people's needs to get from one place to another.

"This applies in Tallinn as well. When we talk about speed limits, then Tallinn is a good example. On larger streets with more traffic jams and accidents, the 40-kilometer-per-hour limit was introduced, and in the first year, traffic accidents fell by more than 30 percent and then another 20 percent after that. So indeed, the 40 km/h speed limit reduces traffic accidents," Lauri said.

"It seems reasonable that in general, downtown speed limits should be 40. In some places it could be 30 and in others maybe 50 or even more — it depends on the road section and how dangerous it is. But each municipality makes that decision based on its own circumstances," Lauri added.

Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) argued that speed limits should not be centrally imposed and said that the real issue in the debate is not traffic safety.

"I see this as an ideological cultural conflict, where the goal is to make car use, car ownership and driving inconvenient in the name of the green transition. Documents from the Ministry of Climate even state that routes of up to five kilometers should be covered on foot or by public transport. That's the end goal in itself, the same as with the car tax. Isamaa does not support this kind of ideologically driven transformation of traffic," Reinsalu said.

"When it comes to safety, municipalities should decide what limits are needed. But the goal in itself should not be to inconvenience drivers for some other ideological purpose," he added.

Martin Helme said EKRE wants to move in the opposite direction from lowering speed limits. "On Paldiski maantee or Pirita tee, people should once again be allowed to drive 70 kilometers per hour," Helme said.

"As for deaths and accidents, let's be honest — who are we fooling here? The biggest source of accidents in Tallinn is pedestrians getting hit by scooters and mopeds. If we want to talk about traffic safety, then we need to deal with regulating scooters and mopeds," he said.

"If something works, let's not mess with it — we've been used to a 50 km/h limit in cities for 20 or 30 years, so let's keep driving 50," Helme added.

Lauri Läänemets (Social Democratic Party) said that there is nothing wrong with a people-friendly and child-friendly urban space, and in his view, traffic safety is not ideological, as Reinsalu had suggested.

"Safety is also improved if we reduce the necessity of car ownership. I'm not saying people shouldn't have cars — many need them — but let's make public transport better. That will also bring down speeds and probably reduce the number of cars. But speed limits must be location-specific," Läänemets said.

Mihhail Kõlvart (Center Party) said that the question of speed limits is not theoretical, but rather something specialists in the field can calculate.

"There is such a concept as modeling. It's possible to apply different measures and instruments and then decide what the optimal speed is for each street and each road section. The right approach should be based on expert recommendations," Kõlvart said.

Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200) stressed the importance of remembering why safe mobility and traffic are being discussed in the first place.

"The number of traffic deaths in Tallinn last year, if I remember correctly, was 12. This year it is fortunately fewer — three. Let's hope the downward trend continues. People's health and lives are certainly not an ideological matter. As for blanket speed limits, Eesti 200's position is that streets must be built and designed in such a way that traffic there is convenient, accessible and doesn't encourage or even allow speeding. Simply lowering limits on arterial roads won't work. Streets and roads need to be rebuilt. That's what Eesti 200 stands for," Jašin said.

"The police have said that, for example, after the speed limit was lowered on Liivalaia, accidents fell significantly. So the question is, do we trust a politician or the police?" Jašin asked.

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