Traffic signs for extended sidewalks and bikeways have been updated

Over the summer, the City of Tampere has updated traffic signs related to extended sidewalks and bikeways in various parts of the city. An extended sidewalk and bikeway refer to a spot where the sidewalk and bikeway continue across the intersection of a side street. There is no pedestrian crossing at this location. Vehicles entering from a side street must yield to cyclists and pedestrians at these locations. Drivers can identify an extended sidewalk and bikeway by the fact that it is raised above the roadway. The elevation is marked by a curb or a beveled edge highlighted with pavement markings.

This raised solution can be found, for example, at the intersections of Nekalantie and smaller side streets, as well as at the intersections of Nokiantie and its side streets, Winterinraitti, and Vernissaraitti. In the city centre, a similar solution can be found, for example, on the side streets off Hämeenkatu and at the intersections of Kuninkaankatu and Koskikatu.

According to Katja Seimelä, a traffic engineer for the City of Tampere, the extended sidewalk solution has generally been used at intersections where busy sidewalks and bikeways meet quiet side streets.

– Over the summer, an additional sign reading ”Ylijatkettu jalkakäytävä” (Extended sidewalk) was added to these locations to remind pedestrians to yield. This additional sign is completely new nationwide and became possible in the summer of 2025 with an update to the Road Traffic Act. These are the first of their kind in Tampere. Previously, there was only an additional sign under the warning triangle alerting cyclists to a two-way bikeway, Seimelä explains.

The “extended sidewalk and bikeway” solution was developed in the Netherlands. In Finland, the solution was adopted in 2020 when the new Road Traffic Act came into effect. This solution enables smooth movement for pedestrians and cyclists.