Riihimäki is investing in barrier-free mobility

Markku Hirvelä arrives at the Riihimäki Theatre in his own car. He transfers to his wheelchair and drives to Hämeenaukio, where we are discussing accessible Riihimäki with design engineer Soili Miekkala and research lecturer Merja Saarela from Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK).

Hirvelä is grateful that the inclined curb from the parking lot to the square is pleasant for wheelchair users. He also notes the shallow surface gutter for stormwater, which is better for wheelchairs than the traditional deep gutter, in which the wheelchair wheels get stuck at worst.

Miekkala notes that stormwater drainage is particularly important so that the water does not remain on the surface of the square and turn into ice. Although a flat surface is best for wheelchairs, a slight slope is important.

Hämeenaukio has been implemented with a special level of accessibility, targeting city centre areas with a lot of pedestrians and public services. In the future, other areas will also be converted from street to street to a special level of accessibility.

Miekkala describes that the traffic in the entire square has been organized in a new way. There is plenty of space for different user groups to move around. Walking, cycling and the roadway are clearly separated from each other with different colors and materials. The cycle path is red asphalt, the sidewalk is brownish-gray cobblestones and there is a clear three-row cobblestone track between them.

"The wide, raised warning areas in a light contrasting colour at the pedestrian crossings help the blind and visually impaired. There are both lowered vertical and tilted curbs at the crossing points. There is a pebble surface at the edges of the planting areas and around the benches and bike racks, which helps people walking with a cane feel the obstacle ahead."

The lighting of the square has also been improved with ground-mounted spotlights. The square also has many benches for resting, and some have armrests to make it easier to get up. The square has been made comfortable for everyone.

Elevated intersection at the corner of Puputti

We continue to the corner of Puputti, the intersection of Hämeenkatu and Keskuskatu. You cannot drive fast at street level because you have to slow down at the raised pedestrian crossing.

"The raised pedestrian crossing, paved with pebbles, stands out very much to the visually impaired. The beeping sound of the sound beacon is also intended to help identify where the pedestrian crossing begins and ends," says Merja Saarela, who teaches accessibility design in HAMK, among others, to future traffic engineers.

He has also trained the street planning staff of the City of Riihimäki in the basics of accessible design. Saarela leads the Elma project, which promotes accessible travel chains by specifically mapping the travel experiences of people with mobility impairments.

The project promotes Riihimäki's ambition to become a model city for accessibility. The project involves disability associations, companies providing mobility services, Matkahuolto, the City of Riihimäki, VR and Finntraffic, which is responsible for passenger information at the stations.

"The project helps develop transport solutions so that more and more people have the opportunity to use public transport. But even before the trip, you need to know whether all parts of the travel chain are accessible and whether, for example, the lifts at stations are working. Many people who travel by Kela taxi could travel by public transport if transport solutions were accessible," Saarela says.

He praises Riihimäki's R-ride as a fantastic door-to-door service. You can also order a ride by calling if you don't want to use the phone app. All buses in Riihimäki are accessible.

"Senior citizens are very happy with R-ride, which can take them anywhere in the city. As the baby boomers get older, there is a high threshold for them to switch to public transport. R-ride could be a good solution for many."

The Elma project listens to the experiences of people with disabilities. In the summer, Saarela made a trip from Riihimäki to Lahti with city residents who use wheelchairs and rollators. The old electric train departing for Lahti would require climbing stairs to get on the train. This is not possible for people who use rollators and wheelchairs.

"So we took the train to Kerava, intending to change to the Lahti train there. But the lift at Kerava station was broken, and there was no information available about an alternative route. A passerby pointed out a longer walking route, which takes you to the platform via a ramp. But someone using a rollator cannot walk more than half a kilometer. We had bought wheelchair tickets, and we should have been informed about the broken lift at that time. The lift is the responsibility of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency," Saarela says.

Digital accessibility is as important as physical accessibility. There is still much to be developed. Saarela has worked with, among others, the Finnish Federation of the Visually Impaired and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.

"Winter maintenance is a big problem for accessibility. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, HAMK and transport students are starting to innovate on what could be done differently. The basis is the complaints that the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency has received over many years."

The goal is barrier-free bus stops

Saarela thanks the active cooperation between the organizations and the city of Riihimäki. It has brought good results. Work is now underway on an accessibility survey for bus stops.

"Matkahuolto needs to be involved in this, because stop information needs to be entered into national databases. Riihimäki is showing the way to other small towns on how to make transport issues accessible."

His students come from all over Finland, and they make accessibility surveys and take pictures of their own homes.

“From these, I see that accessible solutions always come to big cities first,” Saarela says.

Markku Hirvelä hasn't used public transport – at least not yet. He goes into town in his own car, and depending on the weather, he uses prosthetic legs or a wheelchair.

“If the journey from the car is short and I know there are a couple of stairs to climb, for example to the shop on Hämeenkatu, I take my prostheses with me. On long journeys I use a wheelchair, as moving around with prostheses and crutches is difficult. When I work indoors, I use prostheses and crutches to help me move.”

Hirvelä is grateful that he can get around Riihimäki easily in a wheelchair. It is quite flat, the ramps are well made and there are enough disabled parking spaces.

Text: Reija Ypyä
Photos: Jenniina Nummela