The first snowy week of this winter has shown that the City of Tallinn has been able to keep its promise to clear the streets of snow, with the biggest concerns still due to the capital's unique characteristics.

"In some places, there are lampposts in the middle of the sidewalk, and sometimes cars are parked with their front ends sticking out onto the sidewalk, which is already narrow, so unfortunately, snow removal machines cannot fit through. The machines have been specially designed to be narrower so they can also clear sidewalks," said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa).

In the Põhja-Tallinn, the number of complaints about snow clearing has been negligible so far. This is down to the work schedule in place and smooth cooperation between the city and its partners. The level of winter maintenance monitoring has been increased, with the first round of the day in Põhja-Tallinn usually completed by 7 a.m.

"Perhaps we have caused a bit of a disturbance by coming out with the tractors at night, but in order to have clean streets in the morning, we have to start here at night sometimes. We plan to start clearing snow from small, narrow streets this week, as the machines do not fit on these streets," said Põhja-Tallinn District Elder Manuela Pihlap.

One of the city's winter maintenance partners, ETK Teed, which is responsible for clearing the streets in Haabersti, Mustamäe, and Põhja-Tallinn, said there have been no major problems resulting from the first modest snowfall of the season. The workload has increased most in Põhja-Tallinn, and that has implications for the whole city.

"We bought brand new machines for this purpose. We received them in November, and the brand new machines started operating in Põhja-Tallinn – smaller machines that are suitable for narrow conditions, as the sidewalks there are very narrow. We didn't have small machines like this before," said Andres Agukas, member EKT Teed's management board.

Snow removal costs the city around €20 million annually, with the transportation of the snow being the most expensive part of the service overall. In this regard, too, monitoring levels will be increased to ensure trucks do not leave the city when they are only half-filled with snow.

"The City of Tallinn does not purchase an activity – that is, sweeping the already clear streets with a broom – but rather a level of maintenance. In other words, if it hasn't snowed, the snow removal crews essentially receive a standby fee. The large variation comes from transporting the snow (out of the city), which is ordered separately. The city itself determines whether it is the right time to remove the snow, but that really depends on the amount of snow there is," said Järvan.

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