Traffic Review 2026 provides research data on traffic
Recently published, Traffic Review 2026 provides information on the most recent research and current issues in traffic planning. The document, which is published annually, talks about traffic development as well as the results of traffic calculations and how we use them in city planning.
As a part of planning, traffic planning is based on researched information. It also makes sure that people can get to places like schools, hobbies, shops and workplaces on foot, by bicycle or by public transport – and of course, in their own cars.
We monitor the development of traffic with calculations and information produced by various parties. In addition to the development of pedestrian traffic, cycling, public transport and car traffic, we monitor the changes in the vehicle fleet and traffic emissions.
We use the calculations in climate scenarios to monitor the development of greenhouse gas emissions of transport. Transport is the most significant source of greenhouse gas emissions in Espoo. In 2024, road emissions had fallen by three per cent from 1990, and the per-resident emissions had almost been halved. This is a result that is largely thanks to our investment in public transportation and the more compact urban structure. In light of current developments, road emissions are expected to fall by 35 per cent by 2030 from the 1990 level, despite the fact that the population is expected to double. Espoo has initiated a mid-term review of its climate roadmap, which includes the preparation of additional measures to achieve the emission reduction targets.
Highlights from the results for different modes of transport
Espoo monitors the development of the modes of transport through indices. The cycling index fell by 10%, the public transport index grew by 2%, and the car traffic index grew by 1% from last year.
In 2025, the busiest counting point for pedestrian traffic was in Leppävaarankäytävä, which registered 9,900 pedestrians on weekdays, and the quietest counting point on Olarinkatu registered an average of 400 pedestrians per day.
The use of public transport (ridership on weekdays) shows that Espoo is a city of bus riders. Of all ridership, buses account for slightly over half at 53%. In 2025, ridership in November grew by 6% year-on-year to a total of 111,000 passengers. On the weekdays in November, the metro saw a ridership of almost 60,000, of which 12,600 was at the busiest metro and rail station of Aalto University. Last year, train ridership in November was 23,000, and the busiest railway station last year was Leppävaara with 11,060 passengers per day, which is an increase of slightly under one per cent from the previous year. Light rail saw a ridership of 15,000 in November.
In the long term, the growth in car traffic volume has been slower than the population growth, which is a positive indicator in terms of sustainable development. In 2020, the volume of car traffic fell by 8% from the previous year, but from 2020 to 2025, the volume had grown by 6%. The share of low-emission cars in the vehicle fleet in Espoo has continued to grow. The number of plug-in hybrid cars has more than tripled and there are 14 times as many fully electric cars over the last five years. In 2025, there were 17,913 plug-in hybrid cars and 17,830 fully electric cars in Espoo. In total, the hybrid and fully electric cars account for 28% of all private cars on Espoo’s roads.
Eyes also on traffic safety, environmental impact and park-and-ride facilities
We promote traffic safety in the planning stage during both street planning and construction. In addition to the traffic safety work in the planning stages, we also continuously monitor, record and analyse accidents. This provides us with information on the places where measures to improve safety are most needed. Feedback and initiatives from residents are a part of our work towards traffic safety. According to preliminary data from Statistics Finland, the number of accidents with personal injuries in road traffic fell by 19% in 2025 year-on-year (89 → 72).
Traffic carries several negative impacts for the environments, such as noise and air quality emissions, waste heat and greenhouse gas emissions, which all accelerate climate change. The most significant sources of noise and environmental emissions are the motorway-type roads, in which large traffic volumes combine with faster speeds. Compared with the metropolitan region, Espoo's air is of fairly good quality. There is a permanent HSY monitoring station in Leppävaara, which tracks several classes of impurities. We did not exceed the current limit values for pollution, but the WHO standards are widely exceeded in environments with significant traffic such as Leppävaara. Street dust has emerged as the most significant air quality challenge, despite the fall of exhaust gases.
In 2025, there were 3,361 park-and-ride facilities in Espoo and their overall utilisation rate was 45% on average. The number of cars in park-and-ride facilities was 1,512, which is two per cent less compared to 2024. Because of the construction work on the coastal railway, the park-and-ride facilities at Tuomarila, Kilo and Koivuhovi have been unavailable. The three most popular park-and-ride facilities were at Kera, Hanasaari and Mäkkylä. In 2025, there were roughly 6,246 bicycle parking spots at Espoo's stations, with an average utilisation rate of 18%. The number of bicycles parked in these spots was 1,095, which is four per cent less compared to 2024. The most popular bicycle parking spots at stations were at Koivuhovi, Kera and Aalto University.