Reader’s Opinion | Every euro invested in cycling produces multiple benefits

Discourse the construction and development of cycling infrastructure in Finland often depends only on costs and their reasonableness. We forget to look at the benefits that cycling brings.

In the Netherlands, this has been understood for a long time. More than 25 percent of all trips are made there by bicycle, which improves the quality of life, reduces emissions and promotes public health. Thanks to cycling, the Dutch save billions of euros a year in health care. So it’s no wonder that the country invests hundreds of millions of euros in cycling infrastructure every year and is still striving to increase cycling.

Every euro invested in cycling therefore produces multiple benefits – it reduces health care costs, improves the quality of life in cities and helps achieve climate goals.

The employee bicycle benefit is an excellent incentive to increase cycling. Maybe at some point the mileage allowance will also be the same for those who pedal on business as for those who drive.

A few years ago, there was a lot of writing about Helsinki’s city bikes in the opinion sections. They, too, were considered a waste of tax money, a bad reputation, and a bad thing for the environment. Now there are almost 5,000 city bikes and about 2.5 million trips are made with them per season. In addition, they are mostly stored neatly in racks – unlike electric scooters, which mostly incur costs for society.

Holland is often considered an ideal country for cycling also because of the weather, but the conditions in Finland are just as favorable. With us, you can also ride a bike for a large part of the year without breaking a sweat.

Pekka Sihvola

Helsinki

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