City, contractors and property owners responsible for winter maintenance

03.11.2011 13:34

The city and occupants of property each have their own responsibilities for the winter maintenance of routes. The main principle is that occupants of property are responsible for the winter maintenance of pavements next to their plots and the city is responsible for the driveways of streets as well as pedestrian and bicycle ways. This division of work is based on the Maintenance and Cleaning Act.

If the plot next to a pavement is occupied by a private party, the occupant of the property is responsible for winter maintenance, i.e. in practice a maintenance company, caretaker or inhabitant of a detached house. If the pavement is located in the vicinity of a property belonging to the city or a common area, the city is responsible for winter maintenance of the pavement. Winter maintenance of bus shelters and pavements in bus stops is also the responsibility of the occupant of the property, whether it be the city or a private party. Maintenance of the bus shelter and emptying its garbage bins is the responsibility of the city.

If pedestrian traffic and bicycle traffic are structurally separated by means of a green strip, for example, the occupant of the property is responsible for the pedestrian section and the city for the bicycle path section.

It is the duty of the occupant of the property to keep the pavement by their plot available for use by removing snow and ice that hinder pedestrian traffic and by sanding the pavement to prevent slipperiness. In addition, any snowbanks on the pavement or next to it must be removed as necessary and the gutter and storm water channel next to the pavement must be kept free of snow and ice. In the spring, the property holders must remove sanding ballast from the pavement. Crushed stone may not be flushed into rainwater inlets.

In addition to winter maintenance of pavements, occupants of properties are responsible for cleaning the street area, such as removing trash from the street area up to the centre line of the driveway throughout the year. Especially in the autumn, occupants should remember to remove leaves that may cause slipperiness. The street space control of the city monitors how responsibilities for winter maintenance are taken care of.

The city takes care of pavement winter maintenance in 25 residential areas with mainly one-family houses

A couple of years ago, the city of Tampere took upon itself to take care of the winter maintenance of a couple of dozen areas with mainly detached houses around the city. In areas requiring frequent maintenance, No Parking signs are placed in narrow streets to allow pavements to be ploughed and sanded with the help of machines. The No Parking signs prohibit parking from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the winter maintenance period, 1 October–30 April. The owner of the property is still responsible for the winter maintenance of the junction to their property.

Drivers should also pay attention to other different parking restrictions that apply during the winter season because of maintenance work. In the city centre area, for example, there are lots of narrow streets marked with temporary parking restrictions and signs telling to move the cars. If a car has to be moved by the city in order to allow ploughing, the driver will be charged a removal fee.

In the winter season 2011–2012, Tampere uses two snow dumping sites; in Hakametsä and in Lielahti. The snow dumping fee is 15 euros (+ VAT) per lorry load. Lorry-specific detectors are available at Tampereen Infra, Jokipohjantie 24 (Tarja Jalo).

Feedback to Frenckell Service Point

The city of Tampere is responsible for the street network comprising some 660 km of driveways and 820 km of pedestrian and bicycle ways. This amount grows by a couple of kilometres annually. Streets are divided into three maintenance categories with corresponding ploughing and anti-slipperiness treatment times as well as quality requirements. Main streets and roads with heavy traffic are taken care of first, then collector roads and, finally, access roads. Pedestrian and bicycle ways are usually maintained according to the corresponding street category.

The street keeper and purchaser of maintenance operations is the purchasing unit of urban development. Tampere is divided into nine maintenance contract areas. The contractor carries out the maintenance work under the responsibility of the city in summer and in winter.

Most areas are maintained by the city's own public utility, Tampereen Infra. Destia is responsible for the north-eastern part of Tampere (Tasanne, Olkahinen, Kumpula and parts of Teisko). The south-west part (Multisilta, Peltolammi, Härmälä and Lahdesjärvi) is taken care of by Pihahuolto Haapaniemi Ky, and the western part (Kalkku, Myllypuro, Tesomajärvi, Ristimäki, Ikuri, Villilä and parts of Rahola) by Kuljetusliike Juha Niemenmaa.

Feedback on maintenance can be sent to Frenckell Service Point, Frenckellinaukio 2 B. Email palvelupiste.frenckell@tampere.fi, telephone (03) 5656 4400.

Further information

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