Activation model for sustainable mobility and accelerating cycling services

An activation model for sustainable mobility for daycare centres and schools was piloted in a total of six education units in the school year 2022–2023. The measures will be expanded to five new units at the end of 2023. During the pilot of the activation model, various measures have been tested and developed to encourage children and families to increasingly choose cycling, walking or buses as a mode of transport for short weekday journeys.

The pilot has included (1) speeches at parents' evenings and sharing information on sustainable mobility and mobility services, (2) a campaign that encourages everyday mobility, (3) the development of cycling skills, and (4) examinations of the local environment from the perspective of traffic safety and necessary mobility services.

The experiences and results of the pilot will still be collected and analysed in autumn 2023, but so far, several children have learned to cycle, 250 children have participated in the cycling skill track, and the staff has also been enthusiastic about taking part in a campaign that encourages children and families to engage in everyday physical activity. Through the measures, the activation model has crystallized into the phrase "Knowledge, skill, stopping to make choices and the joy of moving!"

Accelerating cycling services

Shared use electric cargo bikes

The scale-up project launched a shared use electric cargo bike service in June 2023 for year-round use by all residents. There are increasing number of shared use cargo bikes in Turku. Cargo bikes have been found by the users and have been rented up to 10 times on the best days, the average occupancy rate per bike per day has been 1.11.  Cargo bikes are electrically assisted bicycles that can carry loads weighing a few tens of kilograms. The bikes can also be used to transport children, as the cargo bikes have seat belts. Cargo bikes make it easier to get around and move goods without a car. For example, the bike can be used to transport larger groceries from the store to your home and why not even smaller pieces of furniture.

The cargo bikes operate separately from the fölläri city bike system, but the bikes can be rented from Donkey Republic's app in the same way as the fölläri bikes. In the application, the stations of cargo bikes are distinguished from the rest by the lightning symbol. Bike pricing starts at €3 per hour, and the longer you rent the bike, the cheaper the hourly rate gets. Cargo bikes can initially be rented at the bus station, Ikituuri, Föri and Kupittaa bike stations.  The bike can be returned to any station designated for cargo bikes. In the application, you can check the location of these other stations when renting. Link to the service provider's website:  Cargo bikes – City bikes | Kaakau. The cargo bike system will be in use at least until the end of October 2024.

Finland's first shared cargo bikes in Turku | Turku.fi

Kiddy bus bikes and children's bikes

As part of speeding up cycling in daycare centres, the project has acquired two children's kiddy bus bikes for the use of daycare centres, and to support the activation model, both balance bikes and children's bikes have been purchased to improve cycling skills in daycare centres and schools. The Turku Työpiste employment services takes care of the maintenance and transfer of the bikes in question between the different units. The project will fine-tune the cooperation and reservation system so that more units will be able to benefit from vehicles in the future.

In addition, the project will assess the functionality of public bicycle repair points and investigate the possibility of promoting the leasing of children's bikes in Turku and offering different types of bicycles (tandem, bike trailers, etc.).