Helsinki Region Transport’s (HSL) plans to terminate and combine several bus routes in Helsinki have surprised many residents of the north-eastern parts of the city. Some 300 people tried to gain entrance to a presentation of the new bus lines on Thursday.
Now, HSL is promising to organise more information sessions to dispel uncertainty among Helsinkians. A presentation will be held next Tuesday on the bus routes of Vantaa, Espoo and Helsinki – but not north-eastern Helsinki specifically.
For instance, the plans for the termination of bus lines 62 and 69 have met with unequivocal dissent. Maunula resident Ilkka Luukkonen says he is disappointed in HSL’s approach. He believes that citizens have not been listened to.
”They promise to listen to the citizenry, but we feel like we’ve been given the cold shoulder,” Luukkonen says.
Communication trouble
Residents have been in contact with HSL’s board and their municipal representatives, but the termination plans have not been changed. If line 62 is terminated, for instance, residents of Maunula will find their commute to and from central Helsinki considerably longer.
”It’ll be 40 minutes instead of the current 25,” Luukkonen estimates.
He says that a reliable metro service will also be cut out by the termination. As it stands, Luukkonen is able to switch from bus to metro in Sörnäinen.
”With the Länsimetro connection coming in, we think this is a turn for the worse,” he says. ”We do not want it! This is an important bus service for us.”
Two new routes proposed
HSL will be offering residents of Maunula two new bus services, 50 and 51, but those living in north-eastern Helsinki say the metro connection is not good enough. The metro stop for route 50 is in Kulosaari, and bus 51’s in Hakaniemi.
”The latter is a little better for connections, but it moves slower,” Luukkonen complains.
Other options like walking several hundred metres to catch to other routes, 66 and 67, are also deemed unfit because of the many elderly residents and families. Luukkonen says there are more old people in Maunula than anywhere in Helsinki, and that an additional daily walk would do them no favours.
HSL has already received a lot of feedback on its new route plans through its website. All of the comments will, HSL says, be taken into consideration in the planning stages.
The new route plans will be set down in February, with the new lines operating by 2016.
