Your own car, the embodiment of personal space – who would be willing to give that up? This is something Turun Teknologiakiinteistöt’s Risk Management and Sustainability Manager Erkki Oikarinen explores in his blog post.
Turku Science Park is bustling with life and is a traffic hub where thousands of people arrive daily for work and visits. I myself have commuted from Masku to Turku for over two decades, and almost without exception, I have sat alone in my car – as, judging by sight, have almost all other road users in the mornings and afternoons.
Lately, I have started to think about what could be done about this. People’s life situations, schedules, and needs vary greatly, and daily life without a car seems impossible. Remote work helps a bit, but for me, at least, two years in a “corona bubble” proved that home is not a substitute for the workplace. I miss the physical office where I can meet colleagues, have face-to-face meetings, and exchange ideas.
Private car use is a cornerstone of the prevailing “me-me” era.
For many of us who “previously drove our gasoline cars even to Lapland weekly,” resistance to change is strong. Carpooling for commutes is only considered in extreme situations, such as when the car is in for service or during office Christmas party season. Otherwise, the topic is rarely discussed. Private car use is a cornerstone of the prevailing “me-me” era.
Could the solution be found in us who work in the Science Park? How about a car-free day or a carpooling week? Perhaps free parking in a parking garage for a day for a car with four passengers, or some other similar incentive? An app where you collect points by driving passengers, which you then use to virtually pay for your own commute as a passenger?
Untangling this larger knot requires functional public transport solutions and rail traffic to surrounding areas as well. Things that will happen, but slowly. I myself live 300 meters from the Turku–Uusikaupunki railway and the former Masku station building. Even this winter, I would have gladly left the car without scraping and walked to a local train, if one had been available.
Erkki Oikarinen