Dozens of vehicles illegally parked and abandoned at Estonia’s southern border crossing with Russia have been removed by the Transport Administration, significantly improving the situation at the Koidula checkpoint.
Koidula Border Crossing Cleared of Abandoned Vehicles
The Transport Administration began removing the vehicles in October. Nearly 50 have been towed to date.
Siim Jaksi, head of the Transport Administration’s supervision department, described the reaction from vehicle owners. “Just imagine, you’re coming from the Russian side, you reach the parking area, and discover your car is gone. That fear and panic or uncertainty throws you off completely, and then you start trying to figure out where it might be. You turn to the police, to the Transport Administration. In the case of our contract partner, I think they have been met with some harsh words and sent off to all sorts of lovely places.”
More than 10 owners have retrieved their cars from a storage site in Võru. Jaksi said the owners have primarily been Russian-speaking individuals from Latvia, Finland, and Estonia.
Ten unclaimed vehicles remain in storage, and the agency plans to auction off eight of them to cover towing and storage costs.
The operation has proven more cost-effective than initially anticipated. “Initially, we budgeted quite a large sum — €30,000 for this year — but to date, we have reduced that to €5,000. For next year, we’ve planned or budgeted €18,000 for this activity,” Jaksi said.
The appearance of the border crossing has also improved. Temporary warning tape has been installed to discourage parking on green areas, and plans are underway to install guardrails.
The Transport Administration does not intend to create additional parking spaces at Koidula. Individuals planning to stay on the other side of the border for an extended period are advised to use the adjacent paid parking lot.
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