TALLINN - In response to Tallinn's growing traffic problems, plans have been laid for new tramlines, bus lanes and an additional highway through the capital.
City officials are also considering imposing a "congestion tax" on inner-city roads to encourage the use of public transport, as well as old-fashioned methods of road management, such as an increase in school buses.
Tallinn Vice Mayor Jaanus Mutli said chief among the city's plans was a northern bypass road that would connect the city center and port area with the outlying Peterburi Tee.
"There are four different objects in that corridor that all will be built separately, and they all need EU funding to be built," Mutli said.
If the city's funding grant is successful, the billion-kroon project could begin as early as 2008, he said.
Tallinn's existing tram system would be augmented by a new line to connect the large residential suburb of Lasname with the city center.
The tramline would also be extended to service the city airport at Ulemiste, Mutli said.
The city recently placed an order for 65 new low-floor buses from Swedish company Scania, to be manufactured in Poland and delivered by 2008.
The buses will take advantage of new transit lanes to be marked out on city roads.
Transit lanes are a common feature in many cities internationally, although their benefits are hotly debated as they usually created by removing a regular traffic lane rather than through constructing new roadways.
Tallinn will this year adopt another common traffic calming concept, that of the "park and ride" parking lot system. Commuters will be encouraged to park their cars in near-city lots and continue their journey by bus.
And the old-fashioned school bus will make its debut on Tallinn roads after studies showed the peak morning traffic problems were caused by parents delivering their children to school.
A school bus trial will begin this year, focusing on the eastern beachside suburbs of Pirita and Merivalje.
One city-funded bus will operate on this route from February until summer. Authorities said the system could be extended city-wide if parents caught on to the concept.
As a last resort, a delegation of council officers will soon travel to Stockholm to study the city's congestion tax system.
Officials have already undertaken one study trip to Stockholm, and will return in the spring for further briefings on the system.
Other cities around the world 's most notably London - also use such a system, which charges drivers for entering certain parts of the city during certain hours.
In Stockholm, drivers pay up to 60 Swedish kronor (6.4 euros) to access the congestion zone. A recent trial of the tax resulted in a 20 to 25 percent reduction in traffic, and a 9 to 14 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Mutli said there were no immediate plans for a congestion tax, but the concept was still a possibility.
"A congestion tax would require a broad discussion in society, and also the government has to agree to it, since the city itself is not in a position to introduce a new tax," Mutli said.
