PYKÄLÄ is a research project of Tampere University of Technology in Finland. It began 1st June 2009 and will be finished 30th June 2011. The mission of the project is to help Finnish cities and departments of Finnish government to develop traffic and land use planning, control political deci-sion-making and promote cycling and walking as traffic modes and daily exercise.
The objective of the project
The methods of the data collection
The research group collects an extensive material from 10 European cities (Copenhagen, Odense, Groningen, Houten, Gent, Freiburg, Strasbourg, Geneva, Stockholm and Växjö). The methods of the data collection are:
The research group interviews traffic and urban planners and strategy planners, 15 persons in total. And in addition, 8 volunteers of civic cycling organizations. By observation will the conditions of cycling and walking be evaluated in the cities. The research group also collects other material concerning cycling and walking: for example urban strategies, programs of traffic policy, marketing material, guidelines of counting of cyclists and pedestrians and all the researches that the cities have made themselves. Based on the data the research group will find out the success factors of cycling and walking and apply the results to Finnish cities by compiling proposals of action to them. There will also be developed the counting system of cyclists and pedestrian in the project. With that system will the compilation of statistics be on a higher quality level and analogous in Finnish cities.
The results of the project
The results of the project are two quality and extensive books that gives information and inspiration to the better cycling and walking planning in urban environment. One of the books presents the best practices in Europe, and the other gives proposals of actions to Finnish cities. In addition, the project provides the guide for counting of cyclists and pedestrians.
Partners in cooperation
There are 8 Finnish cities (Helsinki, Tampere, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Pori, Lappeenranta, Hyvinkää and Porvoo) and 4 departments of Finnish government (Ministry of Transports and Communications, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Ministry of Education) involved in the PYKÄLÄ-project. As adviser organizations are involved The Network of Finnish Municipalities and Finnish Transport Agency.
The members of research group are specialists from the Transportation Systems in Tampere Uni-versity of Technology. The leader of the group is professor Jorma Mäntynen, and project manager is researcher Kalle Vaismaa. Also two research scientists and three research assistants belong to the group.
Contact
Project manager
Kalle Vaismaa
Tampere University of Technology
Department of Business Information Management and Logistics
Transportation Systems
Tel. int. + 358 40 8490 224
kalle.vaismaa@tut.fi