New cycle lanes will not be created along the stretch of Narva maantee between Pronksi tänav and the Russalka intersection, nor on Liivalaia tänav, the city government has decided.

In the first case, the city government does not want to reduce car lanes to make room for a bike lane; in the second, a tram line would have been a prerequisite, but that will not be built.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) said: "We have to admit that the traffic volume on Narva maantee remains high even after the construction of Reidi tee, and for the current city government, this is not an acceptable solution."

The Liivalaia tänav lane was going to be funded by the European Union from money set aside for the tram line. Järvan said it is not possible to build the bike lane independently.

What will happen to the funding remains unclear, he said.

"At the same time, discussions are definitely ongoing about a bike lane along Pärnu maantee, which is a project supported by external funding. But we must admit that the beginning of that route — from Vabaduse väljak outward along Pärnu maantee — is particularly challenging, a serious challenge, because the street space there is very narrow," the deputy mayor said.

Järvan said the approximately three kilometers of bike lanes are planned along Tehnika tänav, next to the railway embankment. This would not interfere with motor vehicle traffic, he added.

Madle Lippus, head of the Tallinn branch of the Social Democrats, said EU funding would have been used to construct the paths, making the city's own expenses significantly lower.

"To use those funds, the projects must be coordinated with the Ministry of Climate, undergo evaluation, and receive approval from the Ministry. That means if these projects are not pursued and no alternatives are proposed — which has not been done — then the chances of implementing them in time are minimal," Lippus explained.

Lippus said preparations are now beginning to draft the design specifications for the Tehnika tänav bike lane. She added that discussions about Pärnu maantee are still ongoing.

Urban mobility expert Tõnis Savi said that bike lanes are necessary to unlock the potential for bicycle use in Estonian society.

"It seems that, at the moment, the smallest group of road users is being conveniently used as a scapegoat, those whose spatial quality is the first to be compromised. But if we look at who suffers most from this, it ends up being the person who has to and is forced to drive a car," Savi said.

He said the most important thing is to offer drivers an alternative. He added that if that is not done, the number of cars will eventually become excessive.

"Sometimes we can look at a street and ask ourselves: can we offer an alternative mode of transport to every tenth or every twentieth person? I dare say that we can," Savi said.

He said the city lacks a solid plan to control the level of car dependence.

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