Skip to main content

Estonia's traffic volume tumbles by 33%

Road traffic volumes in Estonia have fallen by a third as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Maanteeamet, the state road administration.
By David Arminas April 15, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Road traffic in Estonia is down by a third (© Natalia Rumyantseva | Dreamstime.com)

However, the volume of trucks has changed very little, noted a report by ERR News, the English-language online service of Estonian Public Broadcasting. 

There was a drop of only around 2% based on data collected between March 6, after the first coronavirus cases had been detected but before the government declared an emergency situation, and March 27.

The decline mainly results from a decline in passenger vehicle traffic. Truck transport is required for delivering essential goods and services and so drivers are exempt from staying away from work.

The administration has 98 fixed counting points nationwide.

In the neighbouring Baltic state of Latvia, traffic on major highways fell by 19% in the weeks after the government declared a state of emergency.
 

Related Content

  • Navigating a path towards greater safety
    May 31, 2013
    Eric Sampson takes a look at why the European Union’s eCall system is taking rather longer to arrive than it should. There’s an old story about the person who asked an Irishman for directions and after much thought he responded: “If you’re going there from here it would be better to start from somewhere else.” This came to mind when I was recently reflecting on eCall and wondering when it will come - some stakeholders say the answer is never. So despite years of workshops and discussions, eCall is still not
  • Amsterdam reaps the reward of digitised parking
    April 20, 2016
    Amsterdam had taken the final step in digitising parking and parking enforcement and the move is paying dividends. It was almost a decade ago that the City of Amsterdam decided to start the evolution - or maybe even a revolution – of its parking enforcement: it got rid of the paper parking permit or ticket behind the windscreen and introduced the digital parking right. It was the first step on a bumpy but successful road to digitization, resulting in a fore running position in on street parking enforcement.
  • US 511 system, the future of traveller information?
    April 23, 2013
    What started out at the turn of the millenium as a simple dial-up travel information service has grown out of all recognition in the digital age. Pete Goldin surveys the development to date of the US 511 traveller information system. In a little over a decade, 511 has gone from its original intent – a collection of recorded messages accessible via phone for pre-trip planning – to a network of dynamic traveller information services provided by states and cities throughout the US, offering access to a wide v
  • APA supports automated work zone speed enforcement
    July 17, 2015
    A trade association representing the highway construction industry strongly supports automated enforcement of speed limits in work zones and Maryland's experience with a similarly designed program has had very good results, the association head has told a joint Pennsylvania House and Senate committee. According to PennDOT, 24 people were killed in work-zone crashes in 2014, eight more than in 2013. Additionally, there were 1,841 crashes in work zones last year, a slight decrease from the 1,851 crashes