A safe route to school supports children’s independent mobility. Photo: Maija Astikainen
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The City of Helsinki has proposed reducing speed limits on dozens of streets near schools in an effort to improve traffic safety for children. The changes would affect around 50 streets and apply to areas immediately surrounding 60 lower and upper comprehensive schools across the city.
The proposal, set to be reviewed by the Urban Environment Committee on 20 May, would lower speed limits by 10 km/h on streets where the current limit is 40 or 50 km/h.
The changes would apply to short segments of road close to school crossings, leaving the remaining sections of the streets unchanged.
The new limits are intended to better protect schoolchildren during peak travel times and support safe, independent mobility.
“On a typical school street, the limit would drop from 40 to 30 km/h, usually for a few hundred metres,” said Reetta Putkonen, head of traffic and street planning for the city. “This helps drivers become more alert in exactly the right place. Warning signs indicating children nearby will be installed alongside the new limits.”
Some streets already have lower speed limits near schools, but the new proposal would standardise these measures across the city. Examples of affected streets include Näyttelijäntie in Haaga, Mechelininkatu in Töölö, and Suutarilantie in Suutarila.
Officials say the impact on overall driving times will be minimal.
If approved, some of the changes could be implemented as early as summer 2025, while others may be introduced later in conjunction with additional safety upgrades on selected streets.
The proposal is part of Helsinki’s 2022–2026 traffic safety development programme, which aims to halve the number of traffic-related injuries and fatalities in the city over the decade. Improving safety for children and young people is one of the programme’s main goals.
Each year, Helsinki police record more than 20 incidents involving under-18 pedestrians or cyclists who are injured in traffic. Lower speed limits are expected to reduce such accidents and respond to ongoing concerns raised by residents about the safety of school routes.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
