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This video is a must-see in those cities where people like to say, “Oh, no, we’ll never cycle, we have WINTER!”
Helsinki also has winter, but it doesn’t stop the city from successfully developing its cycling infrastructure and being very bike-friendly.
To find out what Helsinki’s secret is, I talked to Oskari Kaupinmäki, who is the Cycling Coordinator and Traffic Planner at The City of Helsinki.

#cityforall #helsinki #cycling

21 Comments

  1. I have a very good picture of the white / gold bike you can briefly see at 0:17 on the left side if anyone wants it. And I'm happy I made my way to a YouTube video 😂

  2. People who think it has to be hot and sunny to cycle don't cycle. If it's cold or rainy you just add layers. Sweat and sun is way harder to protect yourself for.

  3. Hey, if you're still in touch with Oskari, please tell him, that he, as an authority, should oppose the Sörnäistentunneli -project. There is actually video about it on Kaupunki Raiteilla -kanavalle, with English subtitles. There is A LOT of problems with it, Sörnäistentunneli, and, even though it's such a shame, it's a sign that there are still much car-accidtion and car-infestmest among Helsinki's officials. Though Oskari does seem like the opposite, congratulations for him!!!

  4. I see a lot of similarities to the discussions we have here in Germany – especially about where bike lanes are needed and where not.
    For that 5 km I am however a bit skeptical: That number was a good rule for the "bike radius" with conventional bikes, but with e-bikes this goes a lot (!) further. However up to those 5 km I recommend prioritizing cycling over public transit. While the transit will still be needed for people with mobility issues, it will rarely be the faster option on these short routes. So better make cycling as fast and convenient as possible to take cars completely out of this equation.

  5. My commute is from Espoo to Helsinki – like 10km in Espoo and then 3-4 there. And the winter maintenance in Helsinki is just awful. It sometimes takes me the same amount of time to cover that 10 and the rest 3. There are bike lanes that are not even plowed (Bulevardi for one)!

    Another thing is that those separated bike lanes do not allow any overtakes – if you're stuck, you're stuck, while in Espoo there's always plenty of space for faster cyclists.

  6. Also I'm really happy about this channel as most transit/urbanist channels are showing Europe from American perspective as perfect place without talking about our problems which I think is pretty problematic

  7. It's funny how much Canadians celebrate winter sports like hockey and skiing, but many still mock the idea of cycling in winter, even though it is trivially easy to do. Finns are doing so much better than us.

  8. As someone who moved to Finland from the Netherlands, the worst times to bike are when there's a strong headwind that's blowing rain into your face. You make no progress and are tired and miserable all the way. A dry, cold winter day is bliss compared to that – provided the bike lane is plowed.

  9. Very good video. Oskari is not only knowledgeable, but also capable of explaining the key ideas in an easy to understand manner. I hope the North American urban planning channels will speak to Oskari. Canada, where I am from, can benefit from how cycling infrastructure is done in Helsinki. No one can argue that the weather condition is different.

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