HELSINKI, FINLAND – Population 631,695
Helsinki, the Finnish capital, has been steadily climbing up the Copenhagenize Index of best cycling cities in the world and is currently ranked 10th overall.
With a two-wheeled modal share of more than 10% that sees half of the residents cycling weekly, Helsinki is well on its way to becoming a northern leader in cycling. Plus, the gender split among cyclists is nearly equal.
Yet more still needs to be done to achieve Helsinki’s carbon-neutral goal by 2035 as reflected in the City’s Bicycle Action Plan 2020-2025, which calls for a 69% reduction in traffic emissions from 2005 levels.
Leading the city’s strategy to attain that goal is the new €23 Million Kaisa Bicycle Tunnel, beneath the city’s Central Station, that’s set to be completed in 2023. The tunnel will provide a necessary link between the east and west sides of the ‘Baana’ bicycle superhighway network, accommodating roughly 6,000-10,000 daily commuters.
Helsinki’s first-ever Bikenomics study of Hämeentie, one of the city centre’s major streets, showed that safe cycling paths are a profitable investment with massive cost and health benefits along with traffic reduction.
Helsinki’s 3,500-strong bike share only costs 10 euros a week, and the 1,500+ kilometres of well-maintained cycling paths in the city centre are key to its active use.
The City has also supported many innovative initiatives from cargo-bike sharing for residents and businesses to allowing bikes on trains for free.
Winter maintenance has also been stepped up to keep at least 150 kilometres of bike paths cleared, hoping to grow the 12% of the population who cycle year-round in the snow.