There is substantially less traffic and fewer traffic jams in Tallinn this week, when most schools are out for their autumn holidays.
According to Talvo Ruutelmaa, head of the Traffic Control Bureau of the Tallinn Transport Department, the drop in traffic congestion was measured fairly precisely by fixed counters.
“Compared to everyday traffic, there are approximately one fifth fewer vehicles on the road in Tallinn during school holidays,” he said.
Ruutelmaa explained that during holidays, children weren’t driven to school, and parents often planned their own holidays to coincide with those of their children’s schools, which meant that in addition to not driving their children to school, parents themselves were likewise not on the roads, driving themselves to work. He said that the difference was particularly noticeable in traffic heading toward the city.
He said that one thing that would help keep some snarls from forming was if parents dropping their children off for school were to drop their children off not right at the front door, but rather slightly further away.
On the subject of school buses, Ruutelmaa explained that demand for them was dictated by how much use they saw.
“If riders increase in number, whether on public transport or on school buses, then more buses will be added,” the city transport official explained. “There is no point in keeping empty public transport or school buses running.” (ERR/Business World Magazine)
