All main arterial roads in Helsinki area under threat of becoming blocked in coming years

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All the main arterial roads in the Helsinki area threaten to become blocked because of excessive traffic volumes within the next ten years. Blockages threaten at least some sections of every single main highway.
      The maximum capacity of at least some of the main trunk roads has already been exceeded. Last year the westbound urban motorway Länsiväylä between the Ruoholahti and Otaniemi junctions, the Leppävaara section of Ring Road I, and the Ring Road III stretch between the Hämeenlinna and Tuusula motorways all joined the gridlock club.
      The situation on certain sections of the Turku, Hämeenlinna, and Tuusula motorways is almost equally bad.
      There is no unambiguous definition to “exceeded capacity”. Nevertheless, in practice this means a more severe situation than just the occasional traffic jams during the morning and afternoon rush-hours.
     
The Ministry of Transport and Communications have launched a survey of the socio-economic effects on the capital area from the introduction of a congestion charge. According to the responsible ministry official Tuomo Suvanto, the aim is to find out if such a charge might help to achieve certain civic and traffic-policy goals.
      Alternative measures, with which such goals might perhaps be achieved even more efficiently, are also being investigated.
     
A congestion charge means a system whereby a fee is levied from the road users during the rush-hour period in areas that typically suffer from too much traffic. The fee could vary depending on the traffic situation and the time of day.
      “To solve the congestion problem, several measures will probably be needed, such as developing public transport, investing in road construction, and increasing parking facilities at park & ride interchange points. Right now we are trying to find out if a congestion charge might be one such measure”, Suvanto explains.
      This preliminary account should be completed by the spring, after which political discussions on the matter may begin. If the idea receives political support, it will be looked into in greater detail.
     
Congestion charges are in use for example in London, Oslo, and Stockholm.
      "Traffic jams are going to become more and more common in the arteries leading into central Helsinki, as well as on the ring roads around it, despite the fact that the extension of the Western Metro and the new ring rail line are to be built. The situation is not yet hopeless, but in ten years’ time it may well be”, Suvanto adds.
      “The high fuel prices may slow down the growth for some time, but ultimately the development will continue in the same direction”, Suvanto concludes.
     
According to the findings of Helsingin Sanomat's candidate selection engine in the run-up to last Sunday's elections, some 60% of the newly-elected Helsinki city councillors were in favour of some kind of congestion charge.
      A survey carried out by the paper at the beginning of this year indicated 54% of Helsinki residents and around 40% of residents in Espoo and Vantaa would accept such an arrangement.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Solitary Espoo drivers keep Länsiväylä motorway congested (27.8.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat