Not everyone in Helsinki can get around by bike, not all things can be done on foot.
Robert Fogelhom asked if Helsinki has forgotten its inhabitants in urban planning (HS Opinion 10.1.). I couldn't agree more. When the goal is now to bring more residents to the inner city to enliven culture and business, the city makes and plans decisions that rather entice people to move elsewhere.
Many people living in the city, including in the center, need a car. Without it, many things are impossible or at least extremely difficult to handle. Now that the streets are closed, things just get complicated, so to speak. The latest closure decision concerns the Kaisaniemi parkway, which has little car traffic and is next to a light traffic lane. This just feels like bullying motorists. It follows from all this that when looking for a parking space, the motorist has to go around more and more, time passes and exhaust gases increase.
As a city dweller, I myself am mostly a pedestrian and public transport user. I don't find it problematic that I sometimes have to wait at traffic lights. It's a matter of whether I'm walking or by car.
If you want to enliven the center of Helsinki and get even more residents there, you also have to accept the different needs of the residents. Not everyone in Helsinki can get around by bike, not all things can be done on foot. Some also want to go to their cottages or, for example, to see their parents in the country, where public transport can't get to.
Timo Häkkinen
Helsinki
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