Council initiative to change Rantatie into a village road

Councillor Antti Heikkilä and several other councillors presented the following council initiative: 

Village roads have been introduced in Finland over the last decade. The model originates from the Netherlands, and such village roads can currently be found in Espoo, Tuusula, Hattula and Pyhtää, among other places, and the feedback received has been very positive. Village road status improves traffic safety on these road sections and promotes their recreational use. In Tuusula, the northern section of Kirkkotie has recently been converted into a village road, and this section of road is now functioning excellently. The village road status of the road is based on the fact that the road is not used for heavy traffic, and the road is also suitable for recreational use.

Tuusulan Rantatie is a nationally significant museum road, whose value lies primarily in its cultural and historical significance as the home of many key artists of Finland’s national romantic period. In addition to its many museums and individual cultural and historical sites, its value lies in its scenic beauty, and its recreational use for tourism, jogging, cycling and various events is increasing year by year. The road is extremely important for Tuusula’s image and for the municipality’s attractiveness and retention power. The importance of the Taistelukoulu area, located along the Rantatie road, will also grow in the coming years.

Road safety has deteriorated not only because of the poor condition of the road, but also because of the increase in different types of traffic, especially as it is not possible to monitor or restrict driving speeds in the area. There have been several near misses on the road in recent years, and it is part of the school route for local schoolchildren. The road is particularly busy with tourists during the summer. The poor condition of the road causes significant damage to the image of the municipality of Tuusula. Converting the road into a village road would solve the above-mentioned problems. The road meets the criteria for village roads perfectly. Converting it into a village road is a relatively minor undertaking, involving asphalting, the construction of possible speed bumps and painting.

Rantatie is currently administered by the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre). In the local master plan, the road is mainly classified as a street, but a small section is still classified as a highway. The municipality has not taken over the street sections for street maintenance. This situation has led to decades of negotiations between the municipality and the ELY Centre regarding the costs of renovating the road. The ELY Centre has already commissioned a plan to convert the road into a village road at its own expense, but no agreement has been reached on the financing of the conversion work itself.
We propose that the municipality of Tuusula promote negotiations with the ELY Centre on converting the road into a village road as a priority project and, if necessary, also prepare to contribute to the costs of the conversion. If necessary, the municipality can rezone the missing sections of Rantatie as streets if this promotes the matter. The main thing is that the work gets started without being stuck in limbo between different administrative bodies for years. The implementation itself can be done in stages if necessary, which would not only allow the costs to be spread over several
years, but also enable the concrete effects of the change to be assessed and a decision to be made on the implementation of the rest of the project on that basis.

The conversion of Rantatie into a village road has been discussed over the years at several residents’ meetings in the area, most recently at an event organised by the Tuusula Rantatie Association on 3 June 2025 in Krappi, which was attended by a large audience as well as representatives of the municipality of Tuusula and the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment. There is strong support among local residents for the change. The municipality of Tuusula must actively promote the change to a village road by removing any potential obstacles in the planning process and, if necessary, also participating in the financing of the change. Rantatie must be maintained in a manner befitting its value.

This content has been translated using AI