Tallinn's Transport Department has pulled another fast one on drivers, this time unexpectedly closing off three streets in Old Town to cars.
Last Friday, commuters were surprised to find that access from Väike-Karja street to Pärnu maantee was blocked with pigeon-shaped concrete barriers, reported Postimees. Aia and Rataskaevu streets were also closed.
"When I drove to work in the morning, everything was normal and the street was open. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the concrete pigeons at the end of the street, when, at 17:30 in the evening, I was turning out of a courtyard at Väike-Karja 1. There was no information or warning,” Aime, who works in Old Town, told Postimees.
The woman telephoned Tallinn Municipal Police, which suggested she call the city's help line, which in turn told the woman that they had only been informed about the planned street closure in the morning.
Tallinn Transport Department said it had closed the street in response to numerous parking violations.
It is the second abrupt traffic reorganization to make the news in recent weeks.
Residents awoke on July 10 to find that one lane of Narva maantee, an arterial route channeling traffic from the Pirita and Viimsi suburbs to the center, had been cordoned off for buses. Three additional priority lanes for city buses will be opened on existing carriageways.
"We prefer public transport. We are giving drivers a clear signal that if possible, drivers should also prefer public transport when heading downtown, where there is little room and no space for additional roads,” Talvo Rüütelmaa of the Tallinn Transport Department has previously said.
Ott Tammik
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