More than one million euros of discretionary government transfers allocated for sustainable mobility

The discretionary government transfers for mobility management are intended for municipalities, joint municipal authorities and non-profit organisations. Government transfers may be applied for different projects aimed at influencing people's choice of modes of transport and strengthening sustainable mobility habits either through increased provision of information or service experiments. 

“Health and well-being can be promoted by favouring pedestrian and bicycle traffic also in commuting. Especially in cities, this will also help reduce emissions. It was, therefore, wonderful to see that the Helsinki Metropolitan Area was not forgotten on the list of recipients, covering the entire country. The network project being implemented in collaboration between Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) and companies in the region will help employees find sustainable modes of transport that suit their personal needs. Sustainability is also one of the objectives of the national transport system plan,” says Timo Harakka, Minister of Transport and Communications. 

“It is great that we can develop the transport system by providing support for projects that invest in increasingly sustainable modes of transport and in a more permanent change in mobility habits.  During this round of financing, funding was granted for plans promoting sustainable mobility, mobility management at workplaces and the development of services and service experiments. This year, we were able to finance 35 projects with a total of EUR 1.15 million. We received a total of 57 applications,” says Networks Director Asta Tuominen from Traficom. 

Towns and cities in different parts of Finland get support for versatile projects – NGOs encourage people to cycle 

This year, the discretionary government transfers for mobility management were applied for and allocated before the restrictive measures brought about by the coronavirus entered into force. Therefore, it is possible for the recipients to postpone the implementation schedules of the projects, if necessary. 

In towns and cities, support was granted to, for example, micromobility services, sustainable mobility to studies and work, and various projects inspiring people to cycle and walk. Subsidies were also granted for projects that support combining public transport and other modes of transport and projects aimed at increasing the use of public transport. 

Discretionary government transfers for mobility management are also used for drawing up different plans for sustainable mobility and raising awareness of mobility choices. NGOs are also eligible to apply for central government transfers for mobility management. This year, NGOs will use subsidies for promoting cycling in particular.