Some see it as the wrong step to take, while others insisted it must move forward, during the final ETV "Valimisstuudio" panel discussion ahead of this Sunday's local elections polling day.

The Peatänav ("Main street") project would run along the existing street from Viru väljak to Vabaduse väljak (Freedom Square), a busy and multi-lane route which would be segregated into lanes for cars, public transport, bikes, and pedestrians.

Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) mayoral candidate Martin Helme found the proposed main street project to be "utopian" (which has rather more of a negative connotation in Estonian than in English – ed.) and serves to pit different types of road users against one another. In his view, a project like that would instead drive people out of the city altogether.

"This talk about the main street is an inadequate ramble. We have reached that point where we set drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians against each other, yet in reality, this main street means would mean out of the city. That really means people out of the city, as there are people in the cars. Whereas we want to create a main street whose watchword is that there should be no cars there, we're actually creating a place where there would be no people. Again, we're going against some types of Tallinn residents, who use cars. The main street project is a utopia. It will never be implemented in its current guise. I have nothing against expanding the pedestrian zones in Tallinn, and it is also conceivable to do so on a grand scale. For example, the stretch of Pärnu maantee between the Estonia Theater and the Old Town – there, we could run the traffic underground and have the pedestrians above. But just putting flower pots in the middle of the street and saying 'look, now it's a pedestrianized' zone – that's inadequate," Helme went on.

Maris Lauri (Reform) meanwhile said the main street project should certainly be upgraded and made more people-friendly, given the current stretch from the Narva Road–Jõe/Pronksi intersection to Freedom Square is somewhat unsafe, while beautification alone and for its own sake is not enough, she said.

"Were the main street project to be updated and set out with people's mobility in mind – including public transport, cars, and certainly the possibility of nearby businesses, cafés, and services emerging – then it would create a lively and urban environment. Right now it is a zone of cars and damaged roads. The street is still damaged and everyone has to keep looking over their shoulder to avoid getting in someone's way – pedestrians and drivers alike find it difficult to move around there. It can be made more rational and people-friendly, regardless of how someone happens to be traveling," Lauri said.

Sitting mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) responded to Lauri in saying the project on paper has already been updated, so the next city government will be able to begin the design phase.

"The main street project has been updated compared with the earlier vision. Thanks to cooperation between all departments, compromises have been reached. There will remain one lane apiece for cars and for public transport, while pedestrians will have adequate space – so it is a perfectly strong and sensible project. However, I would note it's only one among several urban renewal projects. It is undoubtedly in a symbolic location, and of course that area needs to be improved. The design tender has been prepared, and the next city government can begin the design work. However, construction cannot get underway immediately, because the Liivalaia tänav reconstruction will be ongoing. Both cannot be built at the same time. Liivalaia tänav must be completed first," Ossinovski said.

Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said he considers it key to assess whether the proposed main street would impede traffic flow, adding he does not find the current project acceptable.

"When we talk about these projects, we do so one by one. For me, the most important thing is that the city's basic services must be ensured. That is my financial priority. All other so-called development projects should come second. As for this main street project, the honest answer is that if it hinders smooth traffic flows, then it is not a rational choice. Just imagine how many people come from the Viimsi direction. This is simply not a sensible step for us," Reinsalu said.

Mihhail Kõlvart (Center), Ossinovski's predecessor as Tallinn mayor, said the main street project should focus primarily on pedestrians, in order to create a new space where the public could walk and spend time.

"If the main street concept is implemented at all, it must be designed with pedestrians in mind – a new, attractive urban space, but of course not the kind of space created on Aia tänav, where benches and flowerpots have been placed randomly. People are wary of going there in the evening or at night, as there's trash everywhere and antisocial people around. No one wants that kind of city space, but that is a real project which was fully created and implemented by the current city government. That the main street project could even be talked out in the first place is thanks to the construction of Reidi tee, and now we have to look ahead. Naturally, it doesn't make sense to build the main street and Liivalaia tänav simultaneously, but the concept must be unified. If we restrict car traffic on Liivalaia, which is already happening, then [design bureau] K-Projekt stated it quite clearly: Choose alternative solutions. Then, the city government responded that they should amend their conclusions. It is certainly neither possible nor reasonable to implement both projects without alternatives. No driver will forgo their car just because the Liivalaia tram line was built. We must treat both projects as a single concept, and also measure throughput. There is no other way," Kõlvart said.

Parempoolsed leader and Tallinn mayoral candidate Lavly Perling also said she does not approve of the current main street project, saying it has not sufficiently considered the needs of people who would actually use it.

"After looking at the main street project as currently publicly available, this is not something I could back. It doesn't entice people to the main street or draw them back from the suburban shopping malls into the city center. That is what we need to do – ensure there are stores, and activities for young people. That's the kind of main street we are talking about, where life happens. You can't make a street without thinking about what will be situated on it," Perling said.

Current Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200) said the main street project should definitely move forward.

"Every decent Western capital has a real high street – a place that stimulates business activity. When tourists and local residents start moving there again, cafés and shops will follow. In fact, the commercial spaces are already there, and their rent is lower than in Põhja-Tallinn because there isn't much foot traffic and the area isn't attractive at the moment. Property owners there don't yet see the reason to invest and improve their premises – so the main street must absolutely come. Whether with the current plan or one that gives even more space to people, Eesti 200 certainly supports allocating more room for people in this discussion," Jašin said.

Rasmus Lahtvee of the Green Party (Rohelised) also sees the main street project as important and said it should accommodate various modes of transport, though its implementation cannot amount to merely placing flowerpots on the street either.

"We must surely go ahead with the main street, and I wouldn't oppose pedestrians to any other means of travel. The Greens clearly support a humane Tallinn – one that is comfortable, safe and pleasant for people, regardless of their mode of transport. The main street should be designed so that one can move around on foot, by bicycle, and reach it by car if needed. But even more importantly, we must eliminate all this project-based pot planting in the city. This is greenwashing – a kind of pretend landscaping. What truly ensures a better urban environment, supports mental health, reduces urban heat islands, and therefore supports physical health as well, is tall greenery. Permanent, mature greenery – which also helps prevent flooding," Lahtvee said.

The goal of Tallinn's main street project is to create a modern, human-centred and sustainable showcase boulevard which supports the city's development through a more diverse living environment and transport options. The design is based on the competition-winning concept "Spring in the City," which envisions the main street running from the Narva mnt–Jõe/Pronksi intersection to Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak).

Panel of experts: Ossinovski was debate winner.

This was the final pre-election debate hosted by ETV ahead of Sunday's polling day. ERR's select panel adjudged Ossinovski to be the debate winner.

Political commentator Tõnis Saarts, taking part in the panel, noted three groups of politicians running in Tallinn: Those who were genuinely familiar with the city's development and problems, personified by Ossinovski, Kõlvart, and Jašin; those who spoke in generalities or ideological slogans — namely Reinsalu, Helme, and Perling, plus those who decided to watch from the sidelines and barely participated, and even then mostly when prompted by presenters Andres Kuusk and Liisu Lass.

This last group consisted of Lahtvee and Lauri, Saarts said, adding this was particularly surprising in the case of the Reform candidate given the party's size and the fact it was until summer a part of the current ruling coalition in the capital. Lauri is a former government minister; Saarts even went as far as stating she could be seen to be standing at the edge of a "glass cliff," the counterpart to the more well-known glass ceiling in which women are sometimes placed in leadership roles but at ailing organizations. Lahtvee, on the other hand, found his rhythm as the debate went on, Saarts found.

Mari-Liis Jakobson, professor of comparative politics at Tallinn University, meanwhile found the debate combative, particularly with regard to Kõlvart and Helme's input, while Perling seemed well-briefed considering her party is not in office nor even represented at the city council (Parempoolsed is contesting its first-ever local elections).

Ossinovski, on the other hand, spent much of the debate on the defensive — rarely a good strategy, Jakobson found, while Jašin balanced his insider expertise with Eesti 200's vision fairly well, though given the party's low rating, he was not under fire as much as the mayor.

Reinsalu focused more on his permanent campaign for prime minister than on the mayoral race and tended towards long-winded answers, while Lauri and Lahtvee seemed sincere and competent but were somewhat overshadowed. In Lahtvee's case as Green's candidate, one might have expected more distinct positions, the expert said.

Indrek Kiisler, head of ERR Radio News, found the debate to be restrained and with no sharp clashes, more a game of cat-and-mouse, with Center as the "cat" and the other parties the "mice."

Helme's clear strategy was to attack every party except the Center Party — an evident nod towards Kõlvart and a potential future coalition, Kiisler found.
Perling still showed signs of a beginner's slogan-heavy style — surprising, given how close we are to election day and how much experience she should have gained, Kiisler found. Kõlvart can rely on the Russian-speaking electorate; his task is simply to motivate them to get to the polls, plus in any case he still needs Estonian votes to regain the absolute majority Center held prior to the last local elections four years ago.

Anvar Samost, editor-in-chief of ERR News and Sports, also took part in the panel analysis, and found every lead candidate held their own, yet things did not get too heated — in fact, the tired viewer, since the broadcast started not long before 10 p.m., could be forgiven if they dozed off, he found. That weariness and even irritability surfaced among some of the candidates too, Samost found, putting this mostly down to the sheer number of times they have debated the same themes. There was some substantive discussion, but also word salad and empty slogans, he noted, and a lack of grasp that Tallinn is Estonia's economic engine — and that engine is idling.

Polling day is this Sunday, October 19, and the advance voting period, including the e-vote, is already underway.

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