Traffic signs

Rakentamistyömaan liikennemerkkiviidakkoa Savilahdessa.

In accordance with the Road Traffic Act § 71, the municipality places a traffic control device (traffic signs, traffic lights, and other devices or road markings intended to control traffic) on streets, local plan roads, squares, and other similar public traffic areas. On private roads or other private properties, traffic control devices are placed by the property owner after the owner has applied for and received permission from the municipality.

The traffic control plan for new streets is drawn up in conjunction with the planning of the street layout. Changes to the traffic control plan for existing streets are made, for example, based on the changed requirements of the Road Traffic Act or planning instructions, requests received from citizens, or deficiencies and needs for changes detected by other means.

Petitions for public transport areas

Free-form petitions for traffic signs on residential streets are addressed to the urban environment planning services of the City of Kuopio.

The petition must include reasons for the sign placement, as well as a report that at least half of the residents in the area affected by the traffic sign support the petition. The decision on traffic sign placement is made by the planning manager, after which the plan is made available for possible claims for correction. If there are no claims for correction, the decision becomes legally binding after two weeks of being available for viewing.

Petitions for areas within a private property

Traffic control devices placed within a private property require the written consent of the municipality if the device is being placed in an area that is intended to be accessible for public traffic (for example store parking lots, public pedestrian/bicycle paths on private property or private roads), or if said area is otherwise comparable to a public road.

The yards and driveways of residential buildings are in most cases not considered part of the public traffic network, and therefore the Road Traffic Act does not apply in those areas. However, when traffic control devices are placed in such an area, that area then becomes comparable to a public road and therefore falls under the jurisdiction of the Road Traffic Act.

Therefore, placing traffic control devices within private property requires the written consent of the municipality as per the Road Traffic Act § 71, as is the case with petitions for private roads. The application must include a planning map which displays the traffic control devices which are being applied for (as well as any pre-existing ones) including their precise position and direction.

If the property applying for a traffic control device is owned by a housing company/condominium/real estate company that has a board of directors, the application must include the board’s written decision on placing the device. If the property is privately owned, the applicant must provide proof of their ownership or possession of the property. If a property has more than one owner or possessor, the written consent of all owners/possessors is required.

There are some exceptions where the consent of the municipality is not required. These include the installation of temporary traffic control devices that are necessary due to road maintenance or other work on/near the road, the installation of address number signs, any traffic control devices installed before the current Road Traffic Act came into effect (1.6.2020), and the replacement or slight relocation of an existing traffic sign where the content of the sign remains unchanged.

Petitions for private roads

According to the Road Traffic Act § 71, a traffic control device can be placed on a private road by the road operator after applying for and obtaining permission from the municipality. Permission from the municipality is not required for the installation of temporary traffic control devices that are necessary due to road maintenance or other work on/near the road, the installation of address number signs, any traffic control devices installed before the current Road Traffic Act came into effect (1.6.2020), and the replacement or slight relocation of an existing traffic sign where the content of the sign remains unchanged.

The application for permission must be sent before the traffic control devices being applied for are placed. The application must contain a planning map displaying the precise position and direction of the traffic control devices being applied for, as well as pre-existing ones if any are present. The application must also contain documentation that the road board has made the decision to place the traffic control device (e.g. a copy of the record of the road board meeting where the matter was decided), or if the private road has not established a road board, the written consent of all road shareholders.