Oulu - How the Best Winter Cycling City Became even Better?

[@tubensalat1453]

Nice to see what's possible if the issue is taken seriously and the right approach is used.

[@theepimountainbiker6551]

I LOVE the provision that the contractors must use the surface they maintain. I just recently said that to my local city council about winter cycling maintenance (or lack of) and trying to get around while disabled. Maybe they all should live a winter season as a cyclist or in a mobil scooter, then they'll see just how bad it is for us. Even moms cant push a stroller down the sidewalk, meanwhile roads are cleared to bare pavement

[@klsdjfkjdsalfkj]

I love that concept, it should be done for many things. For example, politicians should only be allowed to send their kids to public schools. Things would improve in no time.

[@p3sel]

@@klsdjfkjdsalfkj I recently learned that in Switzerland politicians usually travel by train. Guess why their train service is working so well as opposed to the one in Germany.

[@jonekone3769]

Every cityplanner should see this!

[@MrMokolondra]

You are an example for the rest of the world. Greetings from Ukraine!

[@test40323]

I am an envious Canadian. Sounds like Oulu got this down to a science!

[@timbrandt711]

Fantastic! Winnipeg should learn from this. i loved it that the contractors serve the users, even give them a trail reception

[@MosquitoFood]

This is brilliant. Thank you for sharing.

[@MarijnRoorda]

I'm all jealous! Greetings from the Netherlands, where we all get our panties in a twist every time the tiniest drop of snow touches our roads!

[@vladimir.zlokazov]

Thank you for this video! Going to show to people in Yekaterinburg.

[@DavidPulsipher]

This is really inspiring you guys. Thanks for sharing! I work on the planning side of bike routes here in Denver Colorado. I love the information about the plow blades.

[@numetalmarkchavez24]

I'm still surprised of the use of snow as a more efficient and safer form of traction. It just makes more sense for winter cities

[@MikkoRantalainen]

Great video and I hope the same rules would apply in other cities in Finland, too. I think the most important part is that the maintenance crew must test drive the roads with their own bikes. If the have any professional pride, that should be the only QA needed.

[@Nhkg17]

WOW, in mine cyty not only there is not any winter maintenance of the bike path, but if the bike path is close to the road, they cover it with snow from the road..

[@brdrnda3805]

In Germany, people in rural areas would ask "What's a bike path?" and in cities "How can you do maintenance around the cars parked on bike paths?"

[@falkschneider959]

Dear Pekka, this was a jaw dropper for me. Maybe you said it in the video and I missed it - how is all that paid for? I am asking because the usual reasoning behind not doing what the people of Oulu did (and still do) is: "Who's paying for all this?"

[@jaken005]

Wow! I winter cycle in Kiruna, it is decent but after seeing this video i see that there still is a lot of work do be done! Visability in intersections, width of the paths and user feedback could really be improved!

[@perojovanovic2906]

Plows clear snow only after not less than 24 hours from the snowfall and the width of snow removal is approx. 1.5 m, with pedestrians and cyclists using the same path. Authorities develop a network of cycle paths slowly and reluctantly. Generally people don't help each other but they hate each other. Cars absolutely rule and park anywhere. Parking on pavement is officially allowed. Welcome to Krakow, Poland.

[@kidfromtheseventies]

Excellent video, thanks.

[@agelaonsoikea]

We have very good bike lanes and paths here in Kuopio Finland too. We have a great gravel road network.

[@MunichUWH]

Great work! Some highlights that Munich could learn from: 1:14 "One of [the quality promises] is that the contractor and their drivers will cycle on the very paths they maintain. So far they have kept the promise well, so bonuses are to be expected. This has significantly improved the drivers' dedication to the work." 2:50 "2 cm of snowfall must be cleared within three hours and the depth of 4 cm must not be reached ever - not even during a snowfall and not even for a second." (1 cm higher at night between 11 pm and 5 am) 3:39 "The only exception to this is exceptionally heavy snowfall, which means over 20 cm within 4 hours." 4:15 "The ploughed surface must not steer the bicycle, meaning that the plough teeth gap must be under 20 millimeters. No toothless blade can be used as it would make the surface too slippery." 4:40 "During preparation works for the spring, the contractor must ensure that the hard packed snow layer will be removed before the so-called springtime 'slush season' season begins." 8:25 Shows the use of a brush attachment. I guess it is used to get rid of soft snow?

[@PekkaTahkola]

Thanks! Brushes are used here pretty rarely for snow. Usually we get better surface with metal blades. Brushes are more commonly used in spring and summer time to clean the asphalt surface from friction material and other debris.

[@Krommandant]

Greetings from Montreal, Canada #teamclous !

[@udosteger]

A very good example of what one can achieve if things are REALLY thought through - user-friendly, friendly to the environment, measurable, getting feedback and so on. Basic principles that we commonly use in IT are applied to the real world - a service based on measurable service levels, probably with penalties but also with bonuses. Obviously, the wellbeeing of the bikers is really important to the city. However, I wonder what the costs are compared to the cleaning cost of other cities. My gut feeling is that quite a lot of money has to be spent, on the provider's side (upfront investment) for machines but also personnel to drive the tractors, and on the City's side to supervise the service levels conformance. Of course, it is always difficult to compare different cities with different weather conditions, different bike lane network (different in width, length, importance, routing) but it still would be very interesting to learn if the service was ever benchmarked against other cities. I also wonder if the users usually have spikes or use fatbikes, or just normal bikes/MTB. While it can be great fun to ride on freshly fallen snow, once it turns into ice it becomes anentirely different and dangerous thing, which usually needs spiked wheels for safety.

[@wolpumba4099]

*Summary* *Introduction to Oulu's Cycling Infrastructure* - 0:16 Oulu, a city in Northern Finland, maintains cycling infrastructure year-round despite arctic conditions. *Unique Contractual Approach* - 0:30 Joint contract involves the city of Oulu, the municipality of Kempele, and the local state road administration. - 0:42 The joint contract ensures uniform quality across the contract area. - 0:50 Initial contract covered 125 km of key regional routes, later expanded to 150 km. *Extensive Cycling Network and Maintenance Standards* - 1:01 Many bike routes connect to/from Oulu city center, including ring routes and areal paths. - 1:08 Over 1000 km of bike paths in the region, all maintained at high quality. - 1:18 Snow depth limits and additional quality promises are part of the contract. - 1:29 Contractors can receive bonuses for fulfilling quality promises or face sanctions for failing them. *Contractor Commitments and Environmental Concerns* - 1:45 Contractors required to cycle on the paths they maintain. - 2:02 Zero-emission vehicles mandated for weather and surface checks. - 2:14 Use of Euro6-standard tractors and biodiesel for maintenance. *Stringent Snow Removal Standards* - 2:43 Snow depth limits specified: 2 cm cleared within 3 hours, never to exceed 4 cm. - 3:17 3-hour time frame to clear snow from the entire 150 km network. - 3:39 Exceptional cases allow for slight deviations during heavy snowfall. *Surface Quality and Maintenance* - 3:59 Post-ploughing conditions: no loose snow, slush, or snowbanks allowed. - 4:14 Ploughed surface must not adversely affect bicycle control. - 4:21 Specific requirements for the hard-packed snow layer and its removal. *Anti-Icing and Friction Materials Usage* - 5:13 Environmentally friendly brine used against black ice; no regular salt. - 5:28 Sand, gravel, or grit added only as necessary, with strict material specifications. - 6:19 Friction materials subject to client approval. *Community Engagement and Customer Service* - 7:07 Emphasis on customer service and active communication with residents. - 7:26 Quality control by voluntary winter maintenance agents and community feedback. - 7:45 Contractor required to organize community events on bike paths. *Technical Specifications for Maintenance Equipment* - 8:03 Specific requirements for plough blades to ensure effective snow removal. *Additional Information* - 8:26 For more details, refer to www.masterclass.city. Disclaimer: I used chatgpt4 to summarize the video transcript.

[@mclandeg1]

I just love Oulu ❤❤

[@FinalVertex]

Ordered winter tires to Riga. Unfortunately they arrived when all the snow and ice was gone. Thinking to visit Oulu for testing them out 🤔. Is middle to end of march good for it?

[@hahafalseflag5090]

This is awesome

[@KE8QBI]

I wish our city provided seperate cycling paths from cars that go to the business district we have cycling paths that go to parks but they aren't maintained at all, pot holes and tree roots etc. Grand Rapids Michigan USA

[@pbilk]

I wonder how well this will this will work in southern Ontario's fluctuating weather from slush to smite that could be packed.

[@richardlegner721]

Hello Pekka, I am interested in the master class. I hope to advocated to City of Whitehorse, Yukon, for better cycling infrastructure and maintenance. I see two products that look similar: "Oulun pääpyöräreittien talvihoidon erillisurakka" (Finish only) and "How the best became even better?" Which of these is the better class to get us started?

[@PekkaTahkola]

Hi Richard! The latter would be better for you - "How the best became even better". That one is in English :) masterclass.city/services/oulu-super-maintenance/

[@mcc.o.4835]

Thank you. I want to cycle during the winter in my country. How much does this cost on an annual basis?

[@evatanen]

Oulu mainittu! Torille! :-D

[@I.____.....__...__]

- 1:11 There are over 1,000 kilometers of bike-paths in this one city and they're maintained? The problem with North America isn't that everything is so spread out and far apart because they don't fill those areas with intricately dense paths, there only SOME bike-paths next to roads, so total distance of bike-paths is actually LESS, yet they still don't bother to maintain them. 😒 - 5:38 My city is _covered_ in sand that gets kicked up into my mouth while biking, and sharp _razor_ gravel that slashes tires. 😠

[@dammitdan106]

Love the information but the constant view obscuring popups ruin it.

[@jarimarin1224]

Me pystymme siihen 😅