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Freitag, 29.03.2024
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Anni Sinnemäki, Helsinki’s deputy mayor for the urban environment, provides expert insight into the Finnish city’s journey towards a more sustainable and seamless transport system.

There has arguably never been a more important time to assess the role of mobility within urban spaces. Global ambitions to phase out reliance on fossil fuels has driven key decision-makers to reassess the ways in which inhabitants of the built environment can move about their cities on a daily basis. Simultaneously, the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the make-up of our cities, with many relocating to more suburban areas, driving the demand to have appropriate transportation networks into cities as well as around.

Helsinki makes no exception in this global challenge to develop and repurpose our urban mobility systems. While Helsinki’s use of public transit and walking remains relatively high in comparison to similarly densely populated cities, there is much more opportunity for progress.

Helsinki has grand ambitions to be a 15-minute city, meaning services are merely a short walk, cycle or public transport journey away, no matter where you are in the city. The transport revolution is well underway, with a plethora of mobility projects cropping up all over the city and we are hopeful that we are able to overcome the current challenges of the sector, Helsinki’s transport system will soon be carbon neutral, inclusive, and seamlessly integrated into the everyday lives of Helsinki’s inhabitants.

Helsinki’s ambitions

The Carbon Neutral Helsinki Action Plan has greatly influenced the formation of the City Strategy, which directs the planning and implementation of all mobility solutions in Helsinki – we’ve tightened our deadline for achieving carbon neutrality by five years to 2030 and the Action Plan will be renewed with measures to reduce construction and traffic emissions.

Challenged by e-commerce and Covid-19, Helsinki city centre is one of the main focus areas of the project looking to safeguard the vitality of the city centre. This includes the development of traffic arrangements to support the city centre’s commercial activities. But, the overall impact of traffic projects that affect city centre accessibility will also be considered. Therefore, the city is looking to implement solutions that make better use of underground parking options and also make sure that service and the distribution of traffic in the heart of Helsinki continues to proceed smoothly.

For the city, ending the use of fossil fuels in the public transport network is vital in order to reach not only our own carbon neutrality goals, but the EU’s Fit for 55 legislation goals, too. To do this, we will draw up a series of measures to strengthen Helsinki’s electric vehicle infrastructure, with the objective of reducing the amount of combustion engine vehicles in the capital area. Ensuring that there are sufficient electrical charging stations for these vehicles will promote the city’s functionality and help us achieve our climate goals.

In Helsinki, we are surrounded by nature and forestry – it plays a huge role in our day-to-day lives as we move through the city. All building and traffic projects will seek to preserve as many trees and as much green space as possible, and improve city conditions for walking and cycling.

According to the latest Cycling Barometer study, 94 per cent of inhabitants in Helsinki support the promotion of cycling. However, attracting people to cycle more, calls for considerable effort. It requires the reconstruction of many city thoroughfares in order to construct proper infrastructure for people on bicycles.

As the current network for cycling is fragmented, the modal share for cycling has not risen yet. But, with adaptations of new technologies, we are convinced the modal ‘share for cycling’ will rise as the network becomes more continuous and coherent. We have an ambitious vision to be the third best cycling city in the world.

Technology and inclusivity

Leaders and decision-makers have to be mindful of the city’s inhabitants and think – how can we make everyone’s life a little bit easier everyday?

Well, with new technology, proven design principles and a greater understanding of people’s needs, we can continuously improve accessibility for all across the city. This also means developing an urban environment that supports everyday movement to help tackle the worldwide problem of increasingly sedentary lifestyles.

Technology and AI are taken into consideration in the city’s mobility plans, but no plans are fully based on them. In the city of Helsinki, they are considered a complementary service on top of a well-established, physically built, inclusive infrastructure and urban environment. For example, intelligent traffic solutions that anticipate people’s future needs can be accomplished if we continue to invest in the digitalisation of traffic information and management, as well as in the intelligent transport infrastructure that facilitates commercial transport services.

Developments in mobility are based on best practices which have proven to be inclusive (mainly Danish and Dutch design principles). Therefore, accessibility is taken into account in all stages of planning, and solutions are based on the All Ages and Abilities approach.

In practice, this means that pedestrians and cyclists are clearly and effectively separated, bicycle facilities are made emphasising the needs of the most vulnerable and for those who cannot walk or ride a bike, the public transport network is comprehensive with high frequency trunk lines that meet accessibility standards.

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Autor(en)/Author(s): Anni Sinnemäki

Quelle/Source: Smart Cities World, 06.07.2022

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