In Helsinki, the responsibility for removing and disposing of snow from yards and roofs lies with property owners. It’s crucial not to pile snow onto streets or parks. In the city center, property owners are also responsible for winter maintenance of sidewalks.
Snow from yards should be piled within the property or removed entirely, not dumped onto the streets or parks.
Property owners in Helsinki, as well as clearing driveway entrances after plowing, are responsible for yards and roofs’ snow removal.
In some places, property owners have piled their yard snow onto the city’s territory, creating high snowbanks that obstruct visibility and impede movement on, for instance, bike lanes or pedestrian crossings.
“Obstructions in visibility pose hazards in traffic, increase the city’s workload, and delay snow removal efforts,” says Tarja Myller, the team manager of street maintenance.
The use of street space for piling snow is only permissible for a short period if there’s no room to stack it within the property. The snow must be transported away immediately.
In Helsinki’s city center, property owners are also responsible for clearing, sanding, and removing snow from sidewalks in front of their properties. Similarly, in the city center, property owners must clear snowbanks plowed from the road onto the sidewalk and transport them to the city’s snow disposal sites.
The city prioritizes snow clearing on streets according to their maintenance classification. Residential streets come after main and public transport routes.
You can provide feedback on street and other roadway winter maintenance through the City of Helsinki’s website. Please note that there may be delays in responding to feedback due to high volumes.
Submitting feedback does not expedite snowplowing on residential streets. Instead, streets are maintained according to pre-defined maintenance classifications.
Source: Helsinki Times
