Estonia, Legislation, Tourism, Transport

"We are serious about getting the regulation ready by the time of the high season of velotaxis. The new regulation should toughen the requirements for velotaxis and reduce their numbers. Our main emphasis will be on doing away with the dangers that velotaxis pose in crowded places," Tiit Siimon, deputy head of the City of Tallinn transport department, told BNS.

Siimon declined further comment, saying that the underlying concept of the regulation was still under work. "There are some things that are open now that have to do with velotaxis as vehicles, such as how to distinguish between them and bicycles," Siimon said.

The governor of the borough of Central Tallinn, Alar Naame, said the activity of velotaxis is not regulated in any manner now. "Since we are talking about provision of service, passenger carriage that is, it is clear that this kind of activity must be regulated and meet certain criteria," Naame told BNS.

Citing dangers posed by three-wheeled passenger carrying cycles to pedestrians and congestion of the narrow streets of the Old Town, the Tallinn city government at the end of last summer banished velotaxis from the Old Town.