Motorcycles on bus lanes: the government and Tallinn are against

In the spring, Riigikogu members from EKRE, the Reform Party and Eesti 200 (Toomas Uibo, Tanel Tein, Varro Vooglaid, Kalle Laanet, Madis Timpson and Rene Kokk) tabled amendments to the Traffic Act. They would let motorcyclists use public-transport lanes, which they may not use now. Legal affairs committee chair Madis Timpson hoped the law would pass in the autumn and take effect on 1 January. The Police and Border Guard Board was generally in favour of the idea.

The government did not support the bill in its current form. Infrastructure minister Kuldar Leis says municipalities should decide, and the current law already allows that. Tallinn, the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities and the Transport Administration were also against it. In October Tallinn said no again in an opinion sent to the Riigikogu economic affairs committee. Deputy mayor Joel Jesse said extra traffic on the lanes would keep buses off their timetable and raise the risk of crashes.