March 31, 2021 - Oulu, located in central Finland, is perhaps the world’s most bicycle-friendly winter city. The darkest, coldest months of winter see natural light for about five hours a day and average temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius. The city is typically covered in snow from November to April each year. 

While cold, dark and snowy winters may be some of the excuses we use in North America for why we can’t cycle more, the winter cycling rates in Oulu are higher than many of our annual cycling rates.

Reports show that 30% of children under 12 ride a bicycle to school year-round in Oulu and that 12% of the full population cycle in the winter. The summer months see a further increase to 32% of all residents cycling. 

The city’s extensive all-season cycling network certainly plays a role.

Oulu has been building safe and convenient spaces for people to cycle since the city’s launch of its first cycling and walking plan in 1972. The city of 200,000 residents currently has over 600km of bicycle routes, which is an impressive per capita network of 4m for every resident. 

Throughout the winter, cycling infrastructure is maintained, with cycling routes on the Class 1 network regularly cleared before the 7am peak commute period so that residents can count on being able to bike to work and school. Instead of clearing bike facilities down to the bare pavement, Oulu packs down snow and texturizes it with materials like gravel. Crucially, cycling routes also have street lighting for the extended dark days of winter.

Cycling may get a further boost in Oulu, and across Finland, as the Finnish government has launched a new tax benefit for people who purchase bicycles for their work commute. Industry leaders expect this will also lead to an increased interest in e-bikes. These plans were made after the government had cancelled earlier plans for an e-bike rebate in 2018.