Espoo shows cycling traffic volume on screens on the streets of Tapiola and Otaniemi
New display screens showing the volume of cycling traffic in real time were introduced in the Tapiola and Otaniemi neighbourhoods in Espoo in November–December 2025. The City of Espoo acquired the two display screens and the automatic cycling counters attached to them, which show passers-by the number of cyclists for the day and for the whole year. The screens are located along the cycling routes on the Tapionraitti and Kuusisaarentie roads.
Cycling supports and contributes to both physical health and a pleasant urban environment and helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport. Carbon neutrality and the development of cycling are highlighted in the city's new strategy: "Cycling plays a key role in the constantly developing and growing Espoo as an everyday mode of transport," says Kai Mykkänen, Mayor of Espoo.
Espoo has been monitoring the volume of cycling traffic for a long time, and the new counters and screens complement the older counter network. According to the 2023 Mobility Survey of Helsinki Region Transport (HSL), about 9% of all travel in Espoo was done by bicycle. In the goal of increasing cycling, high-quality and well-managed infrastructure, smooth traffic arrangements, clear guidance, mobility services and a cycling-positive culture play key roles. Espoo is actively building new cycling infrastructure, including the Rantaradanbaana route by the Coastal Railway, and the plan is to expand the city bike service in the future, as well. City Transport Researcher Mikko Kangasmäki says that "city bikes are now widely used as a part of longer travel chains that combine cycling and public transport in the same journey."
Transport accounts for a significant proportion of the carbon dioxide emissions in Espoo. "We want to make the development of cycling traffic visible in the streetscape. This two-year pilot of the display screens supports the city's 2030 carbon neutrality target in terms of reducing transport emissions, as it highlights the role of cycling as a part of a sustainable urban transport system,” says Development Manager Mari Päätalo.
The procurement of the display screens and counters is part of the international Cycle4Climate project (EU Interreg Central Baltic, 2024–2027), in which four cities and higher education institutions from the Baltic Sea region work together to reduce transport emissions. "The aim of the project is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport by promoting cycling as an everyday and year-round mode of transport through various measures that affect travel behaviour. In Espoo, the project activities focus particularly on the Tapiola, Otaniemi and Keilaniemi districts," says Project Manager Jani Tartia from the Espoo side of the project. The display and counter solution was implemented by Nodeon Finland Oy.
