13.6.2025

Pyöräilyinfo

Cycling is for all -series, PART 3

THE PROFESSOR DREAMS OF CYCLISTS CONVERSING ON THE WAY

We also had a chat with professor Miloš Mladenović about his thoughts on cycling. Miloš is a professor at Aalto University working with urban mobility.

Miloš tells us about the state of flow, or optimal experience, which are terms used in psychology and he says can be adapted to cycling. Optimal experience is about the chosen activity supporting one’s strengths, but also being challenging enough. “And that is exactly what happens when cycling,” Miloš says. He continues that the flow is a nice state to be at, but it also has long-term positive effects, both mentally and physiologically.

SEAVIEWS AND TALKING WHILE CYCLING

Miloš enjoys cycling on the coast and next to the sea, which is always exciting for him. Thankfully there are plenty of coastal routes in Helsinki. He also likes cycling through a forest or other green areas. He also says it’s nice to see people on the streets and to watch them while cycling.

“It would be nice to see more people cycling in general. And more people in business attire, like I’ve seen in the Netherlands quite a lot,” Miloš says. He says that would be a sign of a cycling culture that is maturing, and that it would not be just for sporty people. “I would like to see more people having conversations while cycling. That would mean that this has become a very essential everyday activity that is not just about getting to a point at the end but also something that is happening along the trip,” Miloš says. He adds that the cycling environment should also accommodate that kind of social change and that the noise coming from motorised vehicles should be considered more critically.

When learning a new habit, one should start small, says Miloš. A big learning curve should not be expected at the beginning. Starting small can look different for different people, someone might have a more fast-paced start than yourself. Miloš encourages people to try cycling in a nearby park, where there is no pressure about actually travelling by bike somewhere. After practising and taking your time, the next step could be going to a store by bike. “It takes usually 4–6 months to develop a habit,“ Miloš says and reminds us of the temporal setting involved in learning new things.

TOWARDS “THE ONE-MINUTE CITY”

Miloš is aware of the positive developments in city planning in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area during recent years. It takes more work to finish and implement the current infrastructure and other plans. As an associate professor at the Spatial Planning and Transport Engineering Group, Miloš talks about the micro and macro levels involved in cycling and city planning. According to him, the macro level consists of the cycling infrastructure, which is constantly evolving. Design and planning details are also important. After planning and implementation, maintenance is important, which includes winter maintenance, and should be considered more.

“The bicycle-human combination requires attention to detail,” says Miloš. One centimetre matters a lot in cycling, when talking about the correct height for a curb stone, even if it would not seem significant in the bigger picture. The details matter and can be extremely significant when cycling. Miloš recalls that in Sweden they talk about “the one-minute city” and think about what happens in the next one minute. In Finland, the talk is usually about a “15-minute city”, where the micro level details might not be considered thoroughly enough.

Miloš would like to hear more research-based discussions about cycling. By leaning on research, the common stereotypes about cycling can be avoided. There is cycling-related research in Finland, but not as much as in Denmark or the Netherlands. Doing more research can paint a more accurate picture about who are the people cycling at the moment, how they are different and how they benefit from cycling. Research should be done also on design level details and it could be used for planning and design purposes at an earlier stage.

“It’s very important to understand different types of cyclists and different types of people in the public space. How they use public space and how we can integrate all the different kinds of sustainable travel modes, like cycling, walking or public transport, in the limited urban space.”

THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF CYCLING

For his final thoughts Miloš shares a quote from James McGurn:
“The bicycle is the vehicle of a new mentality. It quietly challenges a system of values which condones dependency, wastage, inequality of mobility and daily carnage… There is every reason why cycling should be helped to enjoy another Golden Age.”

According to Miloš, the quote mirrors “the meaning crisis”, which we are currently having. The meaning crisis includes all our current crises. It all comes down to the current worldview that is based on unsustainable values. Thinking about cycling or bicycles as transport technology has helped Miloš to understand that there has always been a different set of values that could be adopted. The new values would be included in city planning and decision-making. We should not be stuck in our old set of values, but look towards a more sustainable future.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH HELSINKI REGION CYCLISTS – ALSO KNOWN AS HEPO?

We are a community and advocate for cyclists in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. Our goal is to improve the conditions for cycling and make the Helsinki Metropolitan Area a more pleasant, safer and smoother place to live and move around.

Helsinki Region Cyclists, aka Hepo, is an NGO focused on promoting cycling. Hepo has more than 1,500 members. Our goal is to influence law-making and traffic planning both on the local and national level. Hepo is not a political actor and is politically independent. In addition to influencing, bike travels have been an integral part of Hepo’s activities from the start and continue to be so.

By becoming a member you get access to member discounts and other offers for you and your bike. The annual member fee is 32 € and it pays back in no time. If you feel like making a difference in cycling conditions, you are welcome to join Hepo – in our activities or as a member. You get our member newsletter to your email once a month, member discounts from our partners – and you keep on track about cycling-related news and events.

By joining Finnish Cyclists’ Federation or any of its member organisations before September 28th, 2025 at 11.59pm, you have a chance to win Helkama’s electric bike (value approx. 2,800 €). Join Hepo now!

You can also take part in the draw by filling the Google Forms document.

Rules for the draw can be found on Finnish Cyclists’ Federation’s website.