Winter maintenance of pedestrian and bicycle paths

The goal of the assessment

The assessment’s main question was whether the winter maintenance of pedestrian and bicycle paths had been developed in accordance with the objectives. This was examined by assessing whether the winter conditions of cycling and pedestrian paths had been developed in line with the objectives of the programme for developing cycling, the programme promoting walking and accessibility policies. The assessment also investigated how the city monitors the implementation and quality of winter maintenance.

Conclusions

Winter maintenance of pedestrian and bicycle paths has been partly developed in accordance with the objectives. Some of the objectives for winter conditions on cycle paths have not been met. The proportion of people satisfied with the winter maintenance of cycle paths and the popularity of winter cycling have fallen short of their targets. In some places, the measures for meeting the objectives for winter conditions on pedestrian paths are only just beginning. The aim is to consider accessibility in the quality requirements for works, but there are no separate criteria or guidelines in the procurement documents yet. Winter maintenance supervision focuses on the success of winter maintenance as a whole. What the Maintenance Unit considers most important is that the measures are carried out in accordance with the contracts, taking into account the weather conditions. Any deficiencies in the implementation and quality of the work are primarily addressed by notifying the contractor, creating a deviation report and correcting the deficiencies. If necessary, penalties are imposed for deficiencies in accordance with the contracts. Taking winter maintenance into account in land-use planning solutions would allow for more effective snow management.