The Helsinki region, covering nearly 1.5 million people and 14 municipalities, is the largest region in Finland. The Helsinki Region Transport System Plan (HLJ2011) has been developed together with municipalities, the public transport sector and other stakeholders such as citizens and interest groups. The planning process started with status analysis including a wide range of traffic surveys and later several workshops were held to gather ideas and opinions. Public officers have had a major role in the planning process but citizens have also had the possibility to participate and influence the plan through feedback and public meetings. The interaction with different sectors aimed at giving the opportunity to influence the planning process, evaluate possible outcomes of the plan and develop cooperation between different stakeholders and sectors and also gather different opinions and viewpoints about the transport system plan.
In the HLJ 2011, goals for the development of transport systems are defined as well as an action plan for reaching and evaluation of these goals. The main vision is that high quality and eco-efficient possibilities for mobility and transport promote the welfare and competitiveness of the region. The visioning divides the target areas in six main themes: functionality, environmental, social and economic aspects, safety and land use. Instead of focusing on individual projects, transport system planning considers the whole picture and the impacts of different combinations of measures on mobility and trends in traffic. The HLJ 2011 is not strictly a SUMP, although it embraces many of its features, the main aspects that need further development are more detailed action plans and budget calculations, more enhanced citizen participation and inclusion of other than transport and land use sectors. Since the plan covers public transport in 14 municipalities and is led by a joint local authority, implementing more sectors would be very demanding also because political commitment could vary enormously between different municipalities. More detailed actions plans can be developed by the municipalities.
Municipalities: Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa, Vihti, Kirkkonummi, Hyvinkää, Sipoo, Järvenpää, Kerava, Nurmijärvi, Mäntsälä, Tuusula, Pornainen
Photo copyrights: HSL/Lauri Eriksson