Smarter commuting 

• Busy industrial area moves towards sustainable commuting options
• Smart mobility measures introduced result in an award in 2017

Valmet Rautpohja is an industry plant situated in Jyväskylä, central Finland. The plant has around 1 300 employees and most of them use cars for their daily commute. As a part of a local mobility management project in 2016, a consultant specialising in sustainable commuting was hired to explore new approaches.

One of the key drivers for change was that an empty field near the factory, which had previously been used by Valmet staff for overflow parking, was scheduled to be built on in 2020. Without changes in the modal split and parking practices, there was a risk of major parking problems in the future. Other reasons for mobility planning included the employers’ willingness to sustain and improve employee health and to reduce commuting-related emissions.

Together with the consultant and city of Jyväskylä, Valmet started a process towards more sustainable and smart commuting and mobility.

Key impact

The first step was a baseline assessment which included a mobility survey and questionnaire on problems and challenges employees are facing when using transportation means other than their own cars. After that, two workshops were held to listen, innovate and set goals for the process.

During the years that followed, Valmet implemented several different measures to make commuting more sustainable. These included parking fees and public transportation tickets for employees. Bike parking and other cycling facilities were identified. In 2017, Valmet Rautpohja won an award for their persistent work on smart commuting and mobility.