Everyday mobility choices – joy and health with every step
2025 is dedicated to sustainable mobility in Lahti and the entire Päijät-Häme region. The goal is to encourage reflection on our transportation choices. Why do we favor one mode of transport while avoiding another? The themed year offers tips for making minor changes to travel habits. The message is clear: no matter where we live, our income, or our past habits, we can all make our mobility slightly more sustainable.
Road traffic accounts for over 40% of Lahti’s carbon dioxide emissions. While the electrification of vehicles is underway, the change is too slow to reduce emissions significantly. Currently, only one in ten cars is fully electric or plug-in hybrid. Achieving sustainable transportation requires more than just electrification.
Small everyday choices
For many car owners, driving is an automatic choice – a default setting in daily life. It’s easy to hop into the car parked outside, even if the destination is as close as the local store. However, some trips could be more pleasant, healthier, and cheaper without a car.
Not all car trips need to be replaced with cycling or walking for sustainability – and often, it’s not even possible. For instance, many commuters ride part of the week on a cycle, which still reduces car use and emissions. Transportation choices can also depend on the weather: a beautiful day might inspire walking or cycling to work, providing physical activity and a boost of sunlight to lift your mood and energy.
Benefits for health and wallet
Only half of working-age adults get enough endurance exercise, and just about 10% meet the recommendations for strength training. Adults should engage in brisk, heart-rate-boosting activity for at least 2.5 hours per week. This can easily be achieved through active daily commutes to work, hobbies, and errands. Walking to and from bus stops may already cover the necessary exercise if you use public transportation.
A car is a poor investment
The themed year for sustainable mobility encourages calculating the actual costs of transportation and comparing alternatives.
The average monthly cost of car ownership is about €500. Studies show that people tend to underestimate these expenses significantly.
As an investment, a car performs poorly. What else would we be willing to spend thousands or even tens of thousands of euros on, barely use most of the day, and calmly accept that its value depreciates by an average of 7% per year?
More enjoyable environments for everyone
Reducing car traffic makes cities more pleasant and safer. Statistics show that at least one party is a motorist in nearly all severe accidents.
For example, traffic volume around schools affects how children travel to school and how confident parents are in letting them do so. Research has shown that a pleasant and quiet soundscape encourages walking and increases the distance people are willing to walk.
Habits and the power of culture
The average Finn cycles about 250 kilometres yearly, but Oulu residents cycle twice as much. Employees with access to a company bike benefit cycle an average of over 1,200 kilometres annually. These differences are partly due to varying conditions and infrastructure, but habits and local culture also play a role. How do people in your neighbourhood get around?
What kinds of choices are valued in your community? What’s considered normal, and what might raise eyebrows? What’s your default setting for a five-kilometre trip?
