Sustainable forms of transport

The nature surrounding Espoo and the city’s comprehensive network of walking and cycling routes offer excellent opportunities for getting around by bike or on foot. Most of the walking and cycling routes are maintained in the winter. Some of the routes are park paths or hiking routes that are only in use in the summer. More information on the safety of walking and cycling in Espoo is available on our the website under Traffic safety.

We are constantly developing our walking and cycling route network. When building a new street network, our aim is to include the necessary walking and cycling routes and grade separations. Missing routes are being constructed along existing streets. The existing routes are constantly being renovated and their traffic safety is enhanced. In order to promote and develop the conditions for walking and cycling, regional cooperation is carried out with the other municipalities in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, the Uusimaa ELY Centre(external link, opens in a new window) and HSL(external link, opens in a new window).

The construction of our 2050 target network for cycling will be a long-term effort, and it will be carried out in different ways in different situations. Most of Espoo’s target network are existing combined pedestrian and cycling routes, some of which need to be improved. Half of the target network (60 km) is estimated to be ready by 2030. Some of the target network will be constructed in connection with other street, road and traffic projects, and part will be carried out as independent cycling projects within budgetary limits. Additional information on the development of the main routes can be found in the main route implementation programme 2020–2029 approved by the Technical Services Committee (5/2020, Section 48).

Joint-use city bikes complement the public transport system and promote the use of sustainable forms of transport. City bikes have established themselves as a part of our daily travel chains. The most popular city bike stations are located in connection with metro and train stations. City bikes are also used on leisure trips: there are several popular city bike stations along the Rantaraitti waterfront walkway, for example.

The city bike seasons starts at the beginning of April and lasts until the end of October. The city bike service is a joint service between Espoo and Helsinki. The city bikes can be used between the cities: you can ride them from Espoo to Helsinki and vice versa. The city bike service operates on stations, i.e. bikes can only be taken in use and returned at a city bike station. A total of 109 stations operate on the Espoo side.

You can register as a city bike service user at the HSL website(external link, opens in a new window). The site also lists the locations of city bike stations.

The city bike service is provided by the City of Espoo´s Urban Environment Sector and in Helsinki the Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd. The service is maintained by CityBike Finland. Its marketing, digital services and customer relationships are the responsibility of Helsinki Region Transport, HSL. The sales of advertisement spots on city bikes and bicycle stations are carried out by the outdoor advertising company Clear Channel.

CityBike Finland Oy
Tel. +358 9 42578810
(Mon–Fri 7:00–19:00, Sat–Sun 9:00–17:00)
contact@citybikefinland.fi

City bike feedback and fault reports(external link, opens in a new window)

Feedback on the Espoo city bike network to the Customer Service of Urban Environment Sector.

Registering as a user and instructions for using the city bike service(external link, opens in a new window)

Public transport, walking and cycling routes(external link, opens in a new window)

Cycling as a part of the public transport travel chain(external link, opens in a new window)

Shared electric scooters are an established part of market-driven mobility services during snowless seasons. Scooters support things like feeder traffic to metro and train stations.

You can use an electric scooter with an operator-specific application that you install on your phone. Service providers define their own service areas in Espoo.

When using an electric scooter:

• take others in the traffic into account
• adjust your speed to suit the environment
• when on a sidewalk, walk your scooter
• observe cyclists’ rules for giving way in traffic:
  Finnish Road Safety Council, Rules of giving way in traffic(external link, opens in a new window)
• ride the scooter alone, do not give rides to others
• always ride the scooter sober
• consider wearing a helmet
• follow operator-specific instructions

When you stop riding:

Park the scooter primarily in designated parking areas. If there are no parking areas nearby, park the scooter at the edge of the driveway so that it does not cause any inconvenience to traffic.

Parking areas designated for electric scooters can be found in places such as the West Metro station areas, Leppävaara station and at the stops of main bus lines.

More detailed instructions for using electric scooters: Finnish Road Safety Council: Ride right – tips for safe e-scooter use(external link, opens in a new window) 

The City of Espoo actively cooperates with companies providing electric scooter services. If you have any problems related to electric scooters, please contact the company providing the transport service.

Contact information of electric scooter companies operating in the area of the City of Espoo:

Bird

Customer feedback: hello@bird.com

Website: www.bird.co/contact-us/(external link, opens in a new window)

Dott

Customer feedback: support@ridedott.com

Website: https://ridedott.com(external link, opens in a new window)

Ryde

Customer feedback: www.ryde-technology.com/contact-us(external link, opens in a new window) and support@ryde-technology.com(external link, opens in a new window)

Website: www.ryde-technology.com/(external link, opens in a new window)

Voi

Customer feedback: support@voiapp.io

Website: https://www.voi.com/(external link, opens in a new window)

In Espoo, you can find charging stations for electric cars in street areas and at public sports facilities and shopping centres.

In street areas, you can charge your car quickly and safely at the energy company Helen’s charging stations(external link, opens in a new window). You can use the service with an RFID tag or mobile application. There are no monthly fees and you only pay for charging.

The charging stations at sports facilities are provided by Fortum Recharge(external link, opens in a new window).

HSL Park & Ride areas with charging stations for electric cars(external link, opens in a new window).

Public charging stations in Espoo.

Latauskartta(external link, opens in a new window) is a charging station map maintained by Sähköautoilijat ry.

In Espoo, parking is subject to a fee in certain city-owned on-street parking spaces and parking lots in Matinkylä, Leppävaara and Tapiola. You can find the exact locations on the Espoo map service(external link, opens in a new window).

Battery electric cars are entitled to a 50% discount on parking fees. Get a discount through our feedback service.(external link, opens in a new window)

Utilising shared resources, shared cars are a form of transport that is welcome in Espoo. As the variety of transport services increases, the need to own a car is reduced. A shared car can be taken in use whenever it is needed. The increase in and development of carsharing services in Espoo supports the city’s sustainable mobility goals.

There are several companies offering carsharing services in Espoo. The city enables the spread of shared cars: their allocated parking spaces are indicated by traffic signs at central locations in the city. There is no parking fee for shared cars in the City of Espoo’s paid parking spaces.

In addition, carsharing companies have made parking agreements with private operators and defined their own service areas. It is therefore a good idea to check the parking spaces allowed for shared cars in the app of each company that provides carsharing services.

Companies providing carsharing services may apply for a parking right from the City of Espoo. A parking right entitles the company to use parking spaces allocated for shared cars, marked with traffic signs. The parking right is free of charge and valid until further notice.

Companies may apply for the parking right if they meet the eligibility criteria set out in a separate call for applications and its appendices and undertake to comply with the conditions for the granting of parking rights.

Parking spaces for shared cars are marked with traffic signs and can be found on the Helsinki Metropolitan Area service map(external link, opens in a new window).

Parking spaces that are subject to a fee for non-shared cars can be found in the Espoo Map Service(external link, opens in a new window).

Here (external link, opens in a new window)you will find both designated parking spaces for car-sharing vehicles and paid parking spaces.