More parking areas for electric scooters in Espoo
At the beginning of August, new parking spaces for electric scooters appeared in the Espoo streetscape in the areas of Urheilupuisto, Niittykumpu, Matinkylä and Leppävaara. The purpose of these parking spaces is to promote controlled and appropriate parking.
Electric scooters are a popular form of transport in Espoo, and shared scooters have become an established part of urban mobility. According on the observations made by the city, the busiest transport hubs of the city are where guided parking is needed the most. Thus, the key park-and-ride areas for public transport now have newly marked parking spaces for electric scooters.
Electric scooters started to become more common in Espoo at the turn of the decade. The number of trips taken using a shared electric scooter stabilised in Espoo around 2021. Between 2021 and 2023, approximately 800,000 trips were made with a shared electric scooter in Espoo each year. The number of trips looks to remain at the same monthly level this year as well.
In July, a total of 21 new parking areas for electric scooters were marked. One of them is located in Urheilupuisto next to the metro station, four are located in the vicinity of the Niittykumpu metro station and the shopping centre Niitty, 12 in Matinkylä around the shopping centre Iso Omena (mainly on Piispansillantie and near park-and-ride areas), and four in Leppävaara near the Jokeri Light Rail stop and the train station. In addition to these, there are parking areas at the stops of the main bus lines. The exact locations of the parking areas marked in July can be viewed by area on maps.
In areas with marked parking spaces, you should park your electric scooter primarily inside these spaces. If there is no parking space in the area, park your scooter next to a wall or other obstacle, on a bicycle rack, or on the side of the road. The most important thing is that it does not obstruct traffic.
The City of Espoo cooperates with electric scooter operators. The city has, in cooperation with the operators, set up non-parking areas in places such as metro station entrances. The non-parking areas are visible on the operators’ applications. A trip made with a shared electric scooter cannot be ended in these areas.
You should also remember and follow other legislation and traffic rules concerning the use of electric scooters. An electric scooter is considered equal to a bicycle, so a person riding an electric scooter is subject to the same rules of giving way in traffic as a cyclist. Only one person is allowed on the scooter at a time, i.e. giving rides to others is not allowed. It is also important to choose a safe speed for the circumstances and only drive sober. On sidewalks, the electric scooter should be walked. Together we will make Espoo a place where you can move around safely and diversely!
Towards carbon-neutral Espoo
Espoo’s goal is to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. The measures taken to achieve the goal include reducing emissions from car traffic and building the urban structure more densely. A dense urban structure encourages people to switch from cars to other modes of transport.
Using an electric scooter is one way in which you can support our common goal of a carbon-neutral Espoo. While shared electric scooters are a popular, convenient and sustainable way to get around, they have also been a source of a lot of negative feedback due to things like careless parking. Marking the parking spaces will make parking the scooters easier and improve the user experience. The city hopes that electric scooter users will utilise the parking spaces.
