Tallinn plans to move tram stops on Pärnu maantee

ERR reports that Tallinn City Government plans to change the locations of tram stops on Pärnu maantee, but the president of the Estonian Association of Architects, Aet Ader, says the resulting distance between stops would be too long.

Deputy mayors Kristjan Järvan and Joel Jesse met representatives of the Estonian Association of Architects on Thursday to discuss the preliminary reconstruction project for Pärnu maantee.

Jesse told ERR that the aim was to review public transport stop locations to improve transfers and create more logical stop placements. Under the proposed plan, the Kosmose tram stop would be moved 100 metres towards Liivalaia Street, next to the intersection.

Jesse said the proposed arrangement would create an optimal stop distance of 600 metres, meaning that passengers in the middle would have a three-minute walk to the next stop. He also noted that four large schools are located around the Liivalaia intersection: Tõnismäe Secondary School, a vocational school, Tallinn University of Applied Sciences, and Tallinn Music and Ballet School.

However, the route to the French Lycée would become 100 metres longer.

According to Jesse, the proposed arrangement would allow different types of public transport to stop together more effectively.

Ader said European practice was for stops in city centres to be 200 to 400 metres apart. “A distance of more than 600 metres is too long for people to choose public transport, especially older people, small children and people with reduced mobility,” she said.

Ader also called for more short-term stopping places on Pärnu maantee.

Jesse said these spaces could be created by changing the current two-lane road arrangement, with one lane for public transport and one for cars, to a single lane in each direction shared by cars, trams and buses. But he warned that this could prevent vehicles from passing an obstruction because the road would also have a central barrier.

“We still have to consider how to ensure smooth and safe traffic,” Jesse said. He added that there was also a parking garage near the Rimi store on Pärnu maantee.

Ader said the city had not offered alternatives to the planned two-lane arrangement. She said different solutions should be examined, including whether a single lane in each direction could provide space for short-term stops, deliveries, taxis and couriers, as well as benches and greenery.

She also said the city should involve urban space experts alongside transport specialists. According to Ader, it had not been possible to identify which landscape architect was involved in developing the project, raising concerns about the quality of the streetscape.

Despite her criticism, Ader said the project represented progress because it took all road users into account. She added that projects of this kind were built for decades and that the proposed changes could improve the result further.