Espoo promotes cycling – courses for adults and support for bicycle maintenance companies
Espoo, the second-largest city in Finland, is taking steps to promote sustainable mobility by offering free cycling courses for residents and supporting bicycle maintenance companies. Cycling is a sustainable and emission-free means of transport, and the city wants to invest in its growth. The ‘It’s Like Riding a Bicycle’ project (‘Kaikki pyörät pyörimään’ in Finnish) promotes the growth potential of cycling in Espoo.
The cycling courses are intended for all adults who did not learn to ride a bicycle as a child. Many of these individuals are foreign-language speakers, who account for about 22 per cent of the city’s population. Learning to ride a bicycle can help a person lead a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle and increase their independent mobility. The courses are free of charge, and the instructors speak both Finnish and English. We also want to support the participants after the courses, for example by giving them advice on buying and maintaining their own bicycles and using city bikes.
One of the goals set for the current council term is that Espoo is Finland’s top city for integration. Through cycling courses, we can promote integration and support social, cultural, economic and environmental sustainability and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals..
Support for bicycle maintenance companies
A bicycle is an affordable and emission-free vehicle that, when properly maintained, can be used for decades. In the spirit of the circular economy, this project aims to encourage Espoo residents to take good care of their bicycles. The project has reserved money for service purchases, through which the city wants to promote the use of bicycle maintenance services.
“We will launch a tendering process for services that will help extend the life of bicycles in Espoo,” says the City of Espoo’s Development Manager Mari Päätalo. “We hope that this project will help residents find bicycle maintenance services and ensure that at least a few bicycles are salvaged for long-term use.”
Towards a carbon-neutral Espoo by 2030
The City of Espoo is committed to being carbon-neutral by 2030. In 2021, transport generated 35 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Espoo. The aim of the city’s Sustainable Espoo programme is to increase the share of sustainable means of transport and to enable residents to make sustainable choices in their daily lives.
The city’s courses are free of charge and open to all Espoo residents who want to learn how to ride a bicycle, promote a sustainable lifestyle and move from one place to another in an environmentally friendly way. Through the ‘It’s Like Riding a Bicycle’ project, the City of Espoo wants to promote sustainable mobility together with residents and bicycle maintenance companies.
The project has received funding through the Sustainable Cities Climate Impact Challenge organised by the European Union’s communities EIT Digital and EIT Climate-KIC. The challenge supports the transition to cleaner, greener and smarter mobility. The implementation of the project is funded by the international logistics company FedEx.
The cycling courses will be held in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation Helsinki region cyclists.
Inquiries:
Mari Päätalo, Development Manager
mari.paatalo@espoo.fi
Tel. +358 40 6394550
Taina Renkonen, coordinator
Helsinki region cyclists
taina.renkonen@hepo.fi
Tel +358 50 5234328
Webpage for the ‘It’s Like Riding a Bicycle’ project: https://www.espoo.fi/en/its-riding-bicycle.