Government grants support the launch of 46 projects promoting sustainable and safe mobility
Ministry of Transport and Communications and The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom informs: The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has awarded discretionary government grants for mobility management and road safety projects and programmes for promoting walking and cycling across the country. The total sum of the government grants was approximately EUR 1.5 million. The objective is to influence people’s choice of modes of transport, support sustainable mobility and promote the development of local activities to improve road safety.
Traficom has awarded discretionary government grants for 2023 for mobility management and road safety projects and municipality-specific programmes for promoting walking and cycling. Government grants were awarded to a total of 46 projects.
“It is great to see that people across the country want to develop better and safer modes of mobility. Indeed, new initiatives on sustainable modes of transport are needed. Making walking and cycling more convenient also promotes public health,” says Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka.
“With government grants, we can support a wide range of pilots and development activities in municipalities, where people have the best understanding of local residents’ daily lives and the mobility needs and opportunities of different groups of people. Many of the projects are part of long-term efforts and are related to municipalities’ own strategies and visions concerning wellbeing, climate issues, sustainable mobility and road safety,” says Director Pipsa Eklund.
Grants awarded to 25 projects to support sustainable modes of transport
Support for mobility management is available for various projects to influence people’s choice of transport modes and to reinforce sustainable mobility habits either through awareness raising efforts or service pilots. In 2023, government grants were awarded to 25 projects, with the total sum amounting to approximately EUR 1.04 million. The projects are implemented by municipalities, joint municipal authorities and organisations.
“We received a total of 46 applications. There were many good applications, and the interest in and willingness to implement mobility management projects exceeded the funding available. The mobility management projects launched now promote in various ways cycling and sustainable travel chains and sustainable mobility at schools and workplaces, for example,” says Special Adviser Michaela Sannholm.
Discretionary government grants for mobility management were awarded to the municipalities of Akaa and Valkeakoski, Helsinki, Iisalmi, Jyväskylä, Kaarina, Kruunupyy, Lappeenranta, Nokia, Oulu, Pudasjärvi (together with 12 other municipalities in North Ostrobothnia and Kainuu), Riihimäki (together with Pietarsaari, Uusikaupunki and Akaa), Tampere, Turku, Vaasa and Vantaa, the joint municipal authority of eastern Lapland and the organisations Jyväskylän kestävä kehitys JAPA ry (association for the sustainable development of Jyväskylä), Protect Our Winters Finland ry, Pyöräilykuntien verkosto ry (network of municipalities for cycling), Pyöräliitto ry (Finnish Cyclists’ Federation), Suomen kuntatekniikan yhdistys ry (Finnish association of municipal engineering) and Valonia/Regional Council of Southwest Finland.
Grants for programmes to promote walking and cycling awarded to 12 municipalities and areas
Programmes for the promotion of walking and cycling set targets and measures for municipalities to improve the conditions for walking and cycling and to boost the popularity of the two transport modes in the near future.
Government grants for drawing up programmes for the promotion of walking and cycling were awarded to 12 municipalities or areas, with the funding totalling approximately EUR 300,000. Programmes for the promotion of walking and cycling form a basis for systematic, long-term work and, at their best, bring together a wide range of operators across sectors and industries.
Government grants for programmes for the promotion of walking and/or cycling were awarded to the following municipalities and areas: the municipalities of Hartola (joint programme for two municipalities), Hämeenkyrö, Taipalsaari (four municipalities), Vaala and Vihti, the cities of Imatra, Kaarina, Orivesi, Pudasjärvi, Raisio and Rauma (four municipalities) and the joint municipal authority Helsinki Region Transport HSL (15 municipalities).
Support for local road safety activities granted to nine projects
Project grants for road safety projects are intended for regional and local road safety improvement projects, pilots and research. These grants now help launch nine projects seeking to establish good practices for road safety work among young people, for example. Other project themes include the mobility of older persons, traffic calming and the safety of cycling to work. The total sum of the government grants was approximately EUR 180,000.
Project grants for road safety were awarded to the cities/municipalities of Kuopio, Liminka, Oulu, Parainen, Tampere, Turku and Vantaa, a joint project of 21 municipalities in the Region of Lapland led by the municipality of Keminmaa, and Pyöräilykuntien verkosto ry (network of municipalities for cycling).
The objective of the national programme for the promotion of walking and cycling, published by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in 2018, is to achieve a 30 per cent increase in the amount of travel undertaken on foot and by bicycle by 2030, compared to levels in 2016. The discretionary government grants awarded now help achieve this target and support the implementation of the roadmap for fossil-free transport. Promoting the safety of sustainable modes of transport is also emphasised in the new Traffic Safety Strategy.