Järvan: Lastekodu Street's traffic calming causes confusion, not safety

Tallinn's Vice Mayor Kristjan Järvan (Isamaa) commented to ERR on the recently reconstructed Lastekodu Street, which has sparked lively discussion on social media. Residents complain, for example, about parking issues despite signs allowing parking in some areas. Järvan stated that the reconstruction was based on a new approach, and the street itself has become a monument to these ideas, serving as a reference for future street projects. "This is a very concrete example of what happens when such bold ideas are implemented in urban space," he said.

Criticized solutions

Järvan acknowledged that the current experience shows that bollards like those on Lastekodu Street will not be used in the future. Secondly, Lastekodu Street is likely a record holder in cobblestone usage, causing difficulties in finding skilled workers and increasing costs. He compared: the reconstruction of Vana-Kalamaja Street cost about 10 million euros per kilometer, Lastekodu about 6 million euros, while today an exemplary kilometer of city street can be built for about 3 million euros.

Confusing approach

According to Järvan, the misunderstandings stem from an approach that aims to create slightly extravagant and confusing situations to make road users more attentive and reduce speed. However, he believes that "you cannot achieve good results by confusing people and creating dangerous situations in the hope they will drive slower and be more careful. By creating a dangerous situation, you create dangerous situations."