Ever since the introduction of the first bicycles in the end of the 19th century on the streets of Helsinki, cycling has been an integral part of Finnish culture. As in many other European nations the streets in most urban areas are designed with cycling in mind and have dedicated bicycle infrastructure. Outside the cities Finland has 80 000 km of public roads, a large part of which is navigable by bike. The good cycling infrastructure, calm traffic, beautiful nature, and respectful drivers make Finland an ideal place for cyclists.
Cycling as an independent, effective and inexpensive mode of transport fits excellently within the Finnish culture, which prioritizes values like practicality, efficiency and self-sufficiency. The Finnish culture prioritizes humility, and owning a nice car isn’t as much of a necessary status symbol as it is in many other countries. Thus many people, especially in urban areas with good cycling infrastructure and public transport choose to live without a car, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Mixed use of different modes of transport is also very common in Finland, and car-owners will often use other means of transport for their commutes for convenience, according to factors like the weather, distance, mood, and traffic conditions. There is little stigma associate with cycling, and you will regularly see people like high-ranking officials and business professional using a bicycle or public transport to work. In fact president Alexander Stubb is known as an avid cyclist and a competitive triathlon athlete.
Urban cycling in Finland
All major urban areas in Finland have at minimum decent bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. The most commonly seen type of bicycle infrastructure seen in both large and small urban centers is the raised cycle path which often run along the streets and roads. The raised paths prevent cars from entering the bikeway and make both cycling and driving safer. These bikeways are often shared between bikes and pedestrians, while more heavily trafficked paths are segregated. Use of painted bike lanes is avoided, and is rare outside the dense city centers, which contributes to the safety and comfort of cycling and walking.
For a more thorough discussion of cycling infrastructure in the capital city, read this article.
Some heavily trafficked areas have built cycle tracks that are completely separated from the automotive traffic. The Baana (shown below) is a great example of a protected route for cyclists and pedestrians. These paths eliminate contact between cars and cyclist which contributes to the safety and efficiency of the road network. The Baana was built in 2012 in place of a decommissioned railway line, and now around a million cycle trips done on it yearly. This is quite a lot considering the population of Helsinki is around 680 000. (Golovine, 2023)
In the suburban neighborhoods paths for cyclists and pedestrians are often built through parks or forested areas and are often paved with gravel or sand. Not only do these paths serve a utilitarian purpose, often providing a direct and safe route to the destination, they also greatly increase the enjoyment of commuting.
The introduction of shared use city bikes as a part of the collective transit systems in some of the major cities has further increased the amount of cyclists. City bikes are especially practical for people who only cycle occasionally and thus don’t want to invest in their own bicycle or learn bicycle maintenance. Short term rental of these shared bikes is easy and inexpensive, is often combined with other modes of public transit, since the user doesn’t have to bring the bike back home.
Good cycling infrastructure is not in any means limited to the large urban centers. Good cycling infrastructure can be found in all built environments, and is prioritized highly in urban planning. This means that almost all of Finland is accessible by bicycle. The picture below is a great example of good cycling infrastructure being built outside the city centers.
Cycling outside the urban areas
Being a large country with a low population density, Finland has a lot of good roads for road biking, gravel/cyclocross biking and mountain biking. The roads are relatively well maintained even in remote locations, and there is a wide supply of gravel and sand roads for gravel and cyclocloss riders, as well as a wide network of public forest paths for mountain bike riders. The terrain in most of Finland is quite flat, especially in the western and southern parts of the country, although smaller sharp hills can still be found in most areas of the country for those riders looking for more height variations. In Finland one doesn’t have to venture far outside the city centers to find smaller roads low-trafficked roads ideal for road cycling. As cycling is a common hobby and means of transport, drivers, even in the most remote locations are aware of cyclists, which contributes to the safety.
(Periegetes, 2021)
For those riders looking for more varied and difficult terrain Finland has a lot of gravel and sand roads and paths in all parts of the country. A factor that greatly benefit these riders is that cyclists are allowed to use even privately owned forests (unless specifically banned by signs) for recreation as part of the Jokamiehenoikeus (eng. Everymans right). This law also applies to berry- and mushroom picking in private forest as well as camping in most cases (although making campfires is more strictly regulated). For those interested in combining cycling with camping, there are many free-to-use lean-on shelters (fin. laavu) and campsites scattered across the country.
For those cyclist looking for a proper adventure, Northern Finland, especially Lapland, offers varied terrain and beautiful nature. Lapland also has many beginner friendly routes to start with. Many of the popular ski resorts, like Levi and Ylläs, are good places for cycling and mountain biking in the summer and fall.
Winter cycling
Winter cycling is common in Finland and many cities and municipalities actively maintain the key bicycle infrastructure during the winter. The popularity of winter cycling depends greatly by city. Oulu in North-Western Finland is known as the winter cycling capital of the world. Winter maintenance of the key cycling infrastructure is prioritized highly, which allows people to trust that the bikeways will be in good condition. This increases the amount of casual cyclists that will cycle through the whole year. In fact the amount of cyclist only drops by half in the winter. (Oulu.com)
For a thorough discussion of winter cycling in Oulu, read this article.
Although good preparation can make winter cycling highly enjoyable and practical, it doesn’t necessarily require any specialized gear. On well maintained cycle paths regular winter clothes will do just fine, although many more serious cyclist like to dress in winter sports gear, and many change to studded tires. Generally speaking wider-wheeled bikes fare better in difficult winter conditions, especially in slush and on ice. Thin-tired bicycles are difficult to handle on uneven or slippery terrain, although they work fine on well maintained bike paths.
Published on December 7th 2024 (the day after the 107th Independence day of Finland)
Written by the Cycling Philosopher
Literature
Golovine, D. (2023), Evaluation of the cycling in the City of Helsinki: Document-based analysis, Masters Thesis, Aalto University, Aaltodoc
Oulu.com, Cycling, Oulu.com, referenced 7.12.2024
Image sources
Matti Tapola (1971), Kekkonen pyöräilee.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0
Drefer (2018), Kuitinmäentie Espoo Olari 160918.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
Drefer (2023), Silkkiniitty Silkesängen Espoo Esbo 2023-07-17.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0
Teemu Ikonen (2018), Kasarmitori, Helsinki.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0
Periegetes (2021), Punkaharju harjutie 03, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0
SeppoVei (2010), Parikkala connecting road.JPG, wikimedia.org, CC0
Kallerna (2021), Soratie Kalkkinen.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0
Simo Räsänen (2021), Oulankajoki and Savilampi in Oulanka National Park, Salla, Lapland, Finland, 2021 June.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 3.0
Estromiz (2011), Astrom Park Oulu 20110103.JPG, wikimedia.org , CC0
Petri Krohn, Snow in Helsinki in December 2010 – 256.jpg, wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 3.0
