Helsinki Mayor to rely only on public transportation for one week

Pajunen accepts media challenge

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Helsinki Mayor Jussi Pajunen has pledged to leave his car in its garage and to travel exclusively on Helsinki's public transport system for a full week.
      Helsingin Sanomat and Radio Helsinki, which have launched a series in which politicians and civil servants in the Helsinki region are challenged to do various tasks, and Mayor Pajunen is the first to take up the challenge by temporarily forsaking his chauffeured care and travelling by tram, bus, and Metro in the city.
      "I'll try my best. This won't be a terribly sexy story", Pajunen said.
      The Mayor says that in the centre of the city, he mainly travels on foot. His commute to work is not very long, as the Mayor's official residence is only about a block away from City Hall.
     
Pajunen does not normally use public transport very often. The previous time he did so was a couple of weeks ago, when the Mayor and Santa Claus both arrived at the opening of the official Christmas Street in a city tram.
      The Mayor's weekly schedule has been modified in order to accommodate the one-week challenge, to make sure that he has ample time to move from one appointment to another.
     
Pajunen also wants to shake off his reputation of trying to promote the use of cars at the expense of public transport.
      Last month he surprised many Helsinki residents when Helsingin Sanomat reported that he had come out in favour of giving motorists better access to the city centre.
      At an event hosted by downtown merchants, Pajunen said that driving needs to be eased in order to get more life into the city centre. He also rejected the idea of congestion fees.
      Pajunen said that his aim was to promote the consolidation of a real city centre so that the urban structure of Helsinki would stay intact.
      "We have gone in the direction of an Australian and a North American city structure."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Mayor Pajunen speaks out in favour of more cars in Helsinki centre (16.11.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat