The capital of Finland, Helsinki, is the city that has recorded no deaths in road accidents in the last year, according to an announcement from municipal officials this week. Roni Utriainen, a traffic engineer in the City’s Urban Environment Division, told the Finnish press that this achievement is due to many factors, but speed limits are one of the most important, according to IPN, citing Mediafax.
The city authorities have imposed a lower limit of 30 kilometers per hour in most residential areas and in the city center of Helsinki in 2021. The data collected by the Finnish traffic safety unit shows that the number of fatal road accidents in Helsinki has decreased since then.
Once centered on cars, the capital of Finland has transformed through long-term mobility policies. In many parts of the city, roads have been narrowed and trees have been planted. According to authorities, complex urban landscapes compel drivers to navigate more cautiously through populated areas.
Additionally, the city has invested in a comprehensive network of bicycle lanes that stretches over 1500 kilometers. It has improved the public transport network with decarbonized buses and received funding from the European Investment Bank for a new tram line.
Traffic engineer Roni Utriainen stated that these improvements have contributed to “reducing the use of cars and, with it, the number of serious accidents”.
