Improving Road Safety: Lessons Berlin Can Learn from Helsinki

Traffic accidents are not an unavoidable fate. Experts suggest that Berlin could enhance its road safety by looking to Helsinki as a model. According to the head of the Accident Research Department of Insurers, a significant reduction in traffic fatalities has been observed in the Finnish capital.

Helsinki has made substantial and sustained efforts to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, implementing extensive 30 km/h zones in urban and residential areas. Investment in infrastructure has been crucial, with a focus on creating dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian crossings, as well as enhancing traffic education.

While Helsinki's smaller size makes direct comparisons with a larger city like Berlin challenging, particularly regarding traffic density, behavior, and travel distances, there are still valuable strategies that Berlin could adopt.

In Berlin, infrastructure improvements are greatly needed. The primary concern is how pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles interact on the roads. Key accident hotspots for cyclists often occur at intersections and vehicle entry and exit points. To mitigate these risks, it is essential to ensure clear sightlines, particularly at junctions where visibility can be compromised. This can be achieved by creating larger sight triangles and preventing illegal parking that obstructs views.

Separate traffic light phases for vehicles and pedestrians can also help minimize interactions between them. Allowing pedestrians and cyclists to have green signals while vehicles are stopped is seen as an effective way to reduce collision points and can be implemented relatively quickly.

For pedestrians, the most common accident scenario involves crossing the road, which can lead to collisions. To address this, an increase in the number of designated crossing points is necessary, especially where there is significant demand. Research indicates that central islands can greatly enhance safety, allowing vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and children, to cross in two stages.

Where space is limited, alternatives like zebra crossings or pedestrian traffic lights can serve as effective solutions. Berlin, like many other major cities in Germany, has a considerable backlog in this area.

Helsinki has significantly intensified its traffic and speed enforcement measures. Research indicates that speed limits, when not regularly enforced, are often disregarded. This principle applies to other traffic violations as well. The implementation of fixed speed cameras at accident-prone locations, such as near schools and nursing homes, is a potential strategy. Additionally, mobile speed cameras, whose locations are not disclosed, can enhance enforcement efforts.

Helsinki is recognized for its commitment to the Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries in traffic. Although Berlin has pledged to this goal, it still has a long way to go. Last year, 55 traffic fatalities were reported in Berlin, with 24 of those being pedestrians. In contrast, Helsinki recently made headlines for achieving a year without any traffic fatalities.