Helsinki Port opens rest area for heavy vehicles

The Port of Helsinki opened a rest area for harbour heavy-duty vehicles in Vantaa, said the port authority in a press release on Friday.

Due to a long-term shortage of rest areas for heavy traffic, the Port of Helsinki finds it necessary to invest in its own rest area for heavy traffic operators.

The goal of this solution now being piloted is to achieve more flexibility in the harbour traffic of Helsinki and alleviate the occasional traffic jams brought about by busy ship traffic during longer public holidays.

“Heavy vehicles with a reservation on a ship departing later from Helsinki are directed to the Katriinantie rest area to wait for their turn. Vehicles permitted into the harbour will be identified automatically from their licence plate number at the gate,” said Development Manager of the Port of Helsinki Jani Lindroos.

The area will have space for roughly 45 trucks, and drivers will be provided with appropriate sanitary facilities.

The area will be available for departures both from the harbours in the city centre and from Vuosaari Harbour, and its use is free of charge for the port traffic operators.

For the most part, rest areas and their sufficiency are taken care of by the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment together with municipalities.

Heavy traffic has clearly increased over the last few years, but there has been a shortage of rest area capacity in several areas in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area for a long time.

This has led to heavy vehicles being parked in unofficial places and the street networks of the cities.

Legislation regarding driving and rest times, as well as traffic safety, require that drivers take regular breaks, when arriving at harbours.