Development of the cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in Helsinki, Finland

Cycling has a key role in Helsinki city’s strategic development. The city is investing large amounts of resources for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure projects, and the city is becoming more cyclist and pedestrian friendly each year. As a result of these investments the modal share of cycling trips has risen from 11 % in 2014 to 15 % 2020. Cycling is seen as a preferred mode of transport since it:

• Decreases traffic congestion
• Is often the fastest mode of transport on short and medium distances
• Reduces pollution from exhaust gases, noise and dust
• Reduces CO₂ emissions
• Frees up valuable space from parking zones for other uses
• Improves the health and well-being of the residents
• Improves foot traffic to local businesses

An increased share of people cycling, walking and using public transport also benefits drivers, as it reduces the traffic congestion. (Bicycle Action Plan 2020-2025)

It is stated in Helsinki City’s Bicycle Action Plan 2020-2025, that the promotion of cycling isn’t an end in itself. Rather the promotion of cycling is seen as a tool for making the city safer, more functional, and more comfortable. The investments in cycling infrastructure usually ends up benefiting the surrounding society, as much or more than it benefits the cyclists themselves. In terms of city planning, the term cyclist itself is slightly misleading, since most of the people commuting by bicycle wouldn’t consider themself cyclists. For most people cycling is more utility than a hobby. Skilled hobby cyclists like me (and maybe you as well), who cycle around the year in all weathers are less dependent on having good bicycle infrastructure than someone less comfortable with their own traffic skills or physical condition.

The city of Helsinki has implemented a wide range of different types of cycling infrastructure. This includes bicycle highways, bridges, tunnels, as well as conventional bikeways and bikelanes. The development of the bicycle infrastructure has had the intended effect, as the modal share of bicycle traffic has increased from 11 % in 2014 to 15 % 2020. Although this development is impressive, there is still a lot of room for improvement, considering that the bicycle traffic had a modal share of 38 % in Amsterdam as of 2021. (Bicycle Action Plan 2020-2025)

The city of Helsinki had roughly 1 300 km of cycling routes as of 2020. Most of these routes are shared with pedestrians and allow traffic in both directions. The bikeways are typically raised from the street, protecting the riders from car traffic, although painted bicycle lanes are still common in the central parts of the city. Although the length of the cycling network is considerable, Helsinki has a lack of dedicated bicycle highways. Bicycle highways act as arterial roads for cyclists, providing a faster, more direct and safer route than traditional bikeways. Helsinki has the goal of expanding the bicycle highway network to 130 km, connecting the major financial districts with the major population centers. (Bicycle Action Plan 2020-2025)

Bridges

Lauttasaari bridge

The route across the Lauttasaari bridge in western Helsinki is the most heavily trafficked cycling route in the city with a total of 1.4 million trips being made during 2018 (Bicycle Action Plan 2020-2025). The bridge is an integral part of the cycling route connecting the two largest cities in Finland, Helsinki and Espoo. The Helsinki metro line and the Länsiväylä highway both run parallel to this cycling route across Lauttasaari. The highways bridge is separate from the smaller bridge along which cyclists, pedestrians, and local car traffic runs, although the cycling route converges with the highway when entering into Espoo from Lauttasaari.

Kulosaari bridge and the Itäbaana bicycle highway

The Kulosaari bridge is a major piece of infrastructure that connects the major population centers in the central and eastern part of Helsinki. Six car lanes run across the bridge with protected bidirectional paths for bicycles and pedestrians on both sides of the road. The bridge is nearing the end of its lifespan and the rebuilding process will likely start in 2027. As part of the rebuilding, the cycling infrastructure will likely be improved further. (Malmberg, 2024) The Kulosaari bridge is an integral part of the Itäbaana bicycle highway. A large section of the bicycle highway is already finished but it will be further developed all the way to Itäkeskus, which is the central suburb of eastern Helsinki. (stt.info, 2024)

Kruunusillat

The Kruunusillat infrastructure project consists of several bridges and road constructions, which will connect Hakaniemi in central Helsinki with the suburb of Laajasalo in eastern Helsinki. The project will include a light rail line, alongside car lanes and lanes for bicycles and pedestrians. The project is one of the largest infrastructure investments in recent Finnish history. It will support the zoning of major new residential areas in Laajasalo, and accelerate the growth of Helsinki. (kruunusillat.fi)

Bicycle highways

The idea behind bicycle highways is to provide a safe and direct cycling routes, where the contact with motorized vehicles and pedestrians is minimized. The cycle highways allow cyclists to maintain a high speed without sacrificing safety, and are usually built between major points of interests like train- or metro stations. This makes it easy to combine multiple modes of transport. These simple to use and efficient paths incentivize people to choose the bicycle over a motorized vehicle by cutting down transit times and making the experience simple and pleasant. They also reduce the risk of cyclist getting lost, which is a major problem especially for less experienced cyclists. (raidejokeri.info, 2022)

Baana

One of the first and largest investments into cycling infrastructure in Helsinki is the Baana cycle highway, which was built in place of a decommissioned railway line in central Helsinki in 2012. The old railway line Satamarata linked the main railway network with the Jätkäsaari Harbor. The railway line was later abandoned as the newer and larger Vuosaari harbour took over much of the heavy cargo traffic from the Jätkäsaari Harbor. Roughly a million cyclists ride across the Baana yearly, and the investment has greatly shortened the time it takes to cross central Helsinki by bike. Inspired by the success of the Baana several other bicycle highways are being planned and built. This includes projects like Pohjoisbaana, Viikinbaana, and Pasilanbaana. (Golovine, 2023)

Pohjoisbaana

The Pohjoisbaana bicycle highway is a planned cycle highway, running from the central railway station to the border of Vantaa. It is going to run along the railway line, linking the central railway station with the stations in Pasila, Käpylä, Oulunkylä, Pukinmäki, Malmi, Tapanila, and Puistola The first part of the route between the central railway station and the Käpylä railways station has already been finished, but the 9 km extension to the Vantaa border is still in the project stage. (hel.fi, 2022)

Viikinbaana

The Viikinbaana bicycle highway runs along the Raidejokeri light railway line from the Oulunkylä railway station to the Itäväylä highway. The Raidejokeri light rail was finished in 2023 and runs in a circular path, which traverses through many of the major population centers in Helsinki and Espoo. (raidejokeri.info, 2022)

Pasilanbaana

The Pasilanbaana is a planned bicycle highways which will run east to west across Pasila to Munkkiniemi. Pasila has previously had a reputation as a notoriously difficult to navigate part of Helsinki, and this bicycle highway line will bring much needed ease to crossing the district. (stt.info, 2023) Pasila has during the recent decades been the focus of a lot of new development. The most notable recent development is the Tripla shopping centre and hotel complex by the Pasila railway station, which is the busiest railway station in the country.

Tunnels

Kaisantunneli

Kaisantunneli is a tunnel for cyclist and pedestrians, which passes under the railway yard of the central railway station. It funnels traffic from the Baana across the railway, and thus greatly reduces the amount amount of bicycle traffic in the busiest pedestrian areas in front of the railway station. The tunnel was opened to the public in 2024, and also features indoor parking for 900 bicycles. The tunnel is estimated to serve around 20 000 cyclist and pedestrians daily. (destia.fi, 2024)

For a general overview of the cycling culture in Finland, read this article.

For a discussion on winter cycling in Oulu, read this article.

Published on December 7^th 2024 (the day after the 107th Independence day of Finland)

Edited on December 8^th 2024

This article will be updated regularly to keep up to date with the new cycling infrastructure projects.

Written by the Cycling Philosopher

Bicycle Action Plan 2020-2025 (2020), City of Helsinki Urban Environment publications 2020:32, ISBN 978-952-331-863-2, hel.fi

destia.fi (2024), Kaisantunneli, destia.fi, referenced 7.12.2024

Golovine, D. (2023), Evaluation of the cycling in the City of Helsinki: Document-based analysis, Masters Thesis, Aalto University, Aaltodoc

hel.fi (2022), Pohjoisbaanasta sujuva pyöräliikenteen pääyhteys junaradan varteen – Kommentoi alustavaa yleissuunnitelman luonnosta!, hel.fi, referenced 7.12.2024

Kruunusillat.fi, Hanketietoa, kruunusillat.fi, referenced 7.12.2024

Malmberg, R. (2024), Helsingin Kulosaaren sillan purkaminen alkaa vuonna 2027, hs.fi, referenced 7.12.2024

raidejokeri.info (2022), Viikinbaana auki – Raide-Jokerin rakentamisen yhteydessä tehty pyöräilyreitti valmistui, raidejokeri.info, referenced 7.12.2024

stt.info (2023), Pasilanbaanan rakentaminen alkaa Tilkanvierrolla ja Ratsastiellä, stt.info, referenced 7.12.2024

stt.info (2024), Itäbaanan rakentaminen jatkuu helmikuussa Kulosaaren ja Herttoniemen välillä, stt.info, referenced 7.12.2024

JIP (2021), Lauttasaari Bridge in March.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Joneikifi (2020), Kulosaaren silta 2020-07-09.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sakari Kiuru (2012), Kevyen liikenteen väylä Baana – G8541 – hkm.HKMS000005-km0000n5jx.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Risto Vaissi (2009), Satamaradan kuilu ennen Baanaa vuonna 2009.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Åsblåsmås (2021), Pohjoisbaana, Helsinki.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timo Newton-Syms (2022), Raide-Jokeri, flickr.com , CC BY-SA 2.0

Simo Räsänen (2022), Tripla complex and Pasilansilta in Keski-Pasila, Helsinki, Finland, 2022 May – 2.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Roopeank (2024), Kaisantunneli pedestrian and bicycle tunnel (Helsinki, Finland) opening day May 4, 2024.jpg, wikimedia.org , CC BY-SA 4.0

Roopeank (2024), Kaisantunneli pedestrian and bicycle tunnel (Central Railway Station, Helsinki, Finland) bicycle garage Jul 5, 2024.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0