Thousands of residents took part in Tallinn Mobility Week
As part of European Mobility Week on 16-22 September, Tallinn, the European Green Capital, hosted a number of events ranging from various bicycle rides to PARKing Day. All of these events shared a common goal – to encourage people to opt for alternatives to car travel. Statistics show that the number of cyclists is increasing in Tallinn.
“The goal of Mobility Week is to encourage people to follow a healthy and active lifestyle as well as to make everyday activities more environmentally friendly,” said Vladimir Svet, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn. “Therefore, we are very happy to see that so many people of different ages took part in Mobility Week and chose to travel by bicycle, public transport or walking instead of by car. The group cycling rides at Tour d’ÖÖ prove that there are many people who would like to commute by bicycle every day and I hope that over time, Tallinn residents will start using even more diverse means of transport.”
On 16 September, Mobility Week opened with the traditional public transport orienteering contest. This year, for the first time, participants could also complete the course by bicycle. This rule will likely apply for future orienteering contests, too. Nearly 200 people took part in the orienteering contest.
Local governments are advised to participate in the European Mobility Week to test out innovative planning measures, promote new infrastructures and technologies, organise events and gather feedback from the public.
On the initiative of students of the Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn hosted PARKing Day for the first time on 15 September. PARKing Day is an international event where people from different cities around the world temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and transform them into recreational areas. Three city district governments in Tallinn allowed the organisers to use the car park next to their buildings: the car park in Põhja-Tallinn was transformed into a small play area, the car park in the City Centre was converted into a living room with a reading corner and the car park in Nõmme was turned into a miniature golf course.
Another event that took place during Mobility Week was the city government’s cycling tour. Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart, along with deputy mayors, city district elders and employees of occupations related to mobility and road construction cycled through 12 kilometres of cycle tracks in the Tallinn City Centre to determine which aspects of Tallinn’s cycling infrastructure have been successful and which aspects still need improving.
New messages were placed on the backs of Tallinn public buses, reminding drivers that every pedestrian, cyclist and public transport user reduces traffic and the number of cars.
As part of Car Free Day on 22 September, the European Green Capital team organised free guided bicycle tours departing from Terminal D and arriving at the Tallinn Zoo. Participants were able to explore Pollinator Highway and the modern urban space created within the Green Tracks project. On that day, the car park in front of the building of Tallinn City Council served a whole new function: it was a venue for a street concert and an exhibition where people could relax and escape the bustling city. In total, hundreds of people took part in the daytime events.
The day concluded with the 73rd Tour d’ÖÖ group bicycle ride, an event beloved by cyclists. Tallinn financially supported the event with the Let’s Create Together grant. Over 2000 cyclists took part in the event. The events of Tour d’ÖÖ unite cyclists from all walks of life with the aim to increase the number of cyclists in Tallinn. In addition to the cycling event, Tallinn also held the extreme sports festival Simple Session. Hundreds of cyclists and skaters from 30 countries participated in the festival’s city events.
Statistics show that the number of cyclists is increasing in Tallinn. The annual bicycle count helps to evaluate the impact of the organised changes in cycle tracks in the City Centre since they were first adopted in 2021. The results of the last bicycle counts reveal that the number of cyclists has doubled in just a few years and the growth has been especially high in 2023. On some intersections, the ratio of bicycles to cars has increased to as high as 10%, meaning there is one cyclist for every 10 cars.
However, the percentage of cyclists commuting between work and home in Tallinn is still low. In the future, we hope it will grow to 10%, according to the Tallinn 2035 development strategy.
Photos of the Tallinn Mobility Week events can be found here.