Assistance for private roads is changing

The city of Riihimäki has assisted in the maintenance of private roads located in the city area. The assistance has taken place in the form of winter road maintenance and possible lighting.

The grants have been based on established practice and some individual decisions made by the institution or the office holder.

Primary assistance for private roads is the task of the state

The new Private Roads Act entered into force in 2019. The law has changed the assistance arrangement so that the primary assistance for private roads has been set as the task of the state.

The municipality still has the opportunity to assist private roads based on municipal self-government. However, the grant criteria must be met in accordance with the Private Roads Act.

According to the Private Roads Act, assistance on private roads requires that:

• the private road for which the subsidy is granted has been established to manage the road and
• Up-to-date information about the road authority and private road is in the private road register and the road and street network information system (Digiroad).

The current aid practice ends in spring 2025

The city is preparing the end of the current subsidy practice on 31.3.2025 March 19.2 due to changes in the Private Roads Act. The city has sent a letter on XNUMX. to those receiving assistance.

It is possible that the city will no longer provide assistance with the maintenance of private roads from April 1.4.2025, XNUMX. In the future, a new aid policy is also possible. The aid policy has been preliminarily prepared to be changed so that the maintenance of the lighting would no longer be continued (maintenance, electricity bills). Other assistance would become annual instead of an indefinite assistance policy.

In the case of lighted private roads, grant recipients will have to consider whether they will continue lighting after the end of the grant.

The matter is being prepared for the city government to decide on in the spring of 2024, and the goal is to make a decision on the more precise guidelines for granting the grant in the city's decision-making body at the end of 2024.

Preparation of the change started in 2021

The city of Riihimäki informed persons receiving private road allowance about the change in a letter in 2021. In that case, a notice corresponding to the content of the letter was published on the city's website. The letter described the new statutory support criteria and requested information on, among other things, the possibilities of establishing an organized union.

Efforts have been made to reserve sufficient time for grant recipients to prepare for future changes. In the meantime, the city has continued winter maintenance of private roads and taking care of lighting.

Public meeting on Tuesday 12.3 March XNUMX.

The city of Riihimäki is organizing a public meeting on the matter, to which all city residents are welcome. The event will be held on Tuesday 12.3. at 17.00:5 in the Kalevantalo auditorium at Kalevankatu 11–11100, XNUMX Riihimäki.

For the event, questions related to the topic can be submitted to the city in advance, which will be discussed on the spot. Questions can be sent to kirjaamo@riihimaki.fi no later than March 4.3. by, the message is marked Private roads assistance KH/1277/2021.

See detailed event information from here.

Additional information

The letter sent by the city to the subsidized road councils and other aid recipients 19.2.

More information about the establishment and assistance of public schools, for example, on the website www.tieyhdistys.fi.