Tampere Unveils Finland's First "Extended Sidewalk" Signs

This summer Tampere installed traffic signs marking extended sidewalks and bikeways at several intersections across the city. These raised routes let the pedestrian and cycle path continue across a side street without a formal pedestrian crossing; the edge is marked by a curb or beveled edge and pavement markings. Vehicles entering from quieter side streets must yield to cyclists and pedestrians. Signs were placed at locations such as Nekalantie and its side streets, Nokiantie and nearby junctions, Winterinraitti, Vernissaraitti, and on side streets off Hämeenkatu and at Kuninkaankatu and Koskikatu, the city says.

Traffic engineer Katja Seimelä says the design is typically used where busy sidewalks and bikeways meet low-traffic side streets. Tampere has added a new supplementary sign reading "Extended sidewalk" to remind pedestrians to yield. It is the first of its kind in the city and became possible nationwide after a summer 2025 update to the Road Traffic Act. The raised intersection solution was developed in the Netherlands and introduced in Finland when the Road Traffic Act changed in 2020 to encourage smoother movement for pedestrians and cyclists.

Earlier this spring the city said it would add warning signs at continuous crossings and remind cyclists to yield as part of its Bike Week guidance this summer the city's Bike Week guidance.