General information about parking

You can conveniently find the parking spaces of the Väinölänniemi park and recreation area as well as those of the swimming pool and sports stadium on the attached map (pdf). In addition to parking surveillance, the traffic signs in the area are always valid and supervised by the Eastern Finland Police Department, also in the evenings and on weekends. Parking in park areas owned by the city is not permitted.

In the vicinity of the swimming pool, between tennis courts and the shore, there is a parking area marked P, which is overlooked by many, as the access to the area is from the intersection of Kallanranta and Satamakatu. The street area on the swimming pool side has a no-parking zone marked with traffic signs, but on the street on the Kuopionlahti side, you can park almost the entire way on both sides of the street. Only after the bridge in the bend and by the casino up to the small swimming pool is there a parking ban on the other side of the street.

The area between the large swimming pool and the ice cream kiosk is a no-parking zone. Even driving through is not allowed.

The need for more than a hundred parking spaces for sports events at the stadium has been taken into account in the street and traffic planning and made possible in the surrounding area. Satamakatu is also available on both sides during the summer, for users of both the harbour and Väinölänniemi.

There are street parking spaces in the city centre area. Parking places are indicated by traffic signs. The charging zones are divided into three different zones, for which additional information and prices are available on the Kuopion Pysäköinti website(in Finnish). Ticket machines can be found near parking spaces, and depending on the machine, the payment method is coins, payment cards or mobile payment. Zone codes related to mobile payment are indicated in connection with ticket machines and traffic signs. We also remind you that the person parking the car is responsible for the correctness of their parking and for paying the parking fee for the right vehicle and at the right place, for example.

When paying with a mobile device, it is a good idea to carry out the payment transaction sitting in the vehicle to ensure that GPS positioning is as accurate as possible.

The time of arrival shall be clearly marked on the vehicle whenever the parking time limit is indicated by traffic signs. Remember to check the correctness of parking from traffic signs. Parking control recommends using a parking disc or digital disc.

In urban areas, stopping and parking on the road to the left of the vehicle is also permitted on a two-way road if it does not endanger or interfere with traffic. The vehicle must be stopped or parked parallel to the road and as close as possible to the edge of the road. Please note that the person parking the car is obliged to check the correctness of parking from the on-site traffic signs, which are placed according to the direction of travel.

Separate motorcycle parking spaces can be found, for example, on Savonkatu (behind Sokos) and in the vicinity of the passenger harbour on Minna Canthin katu. When parking a motorcycle at a normal ticket-requiring parking spot, the ticket must be kept and, if necessary, it must shown to prove that the parking fee has been paid. In this case, the parking penalty fee, if any, will be voided. When using mobile applications, the parking inspectors can see the payment immediately using the registration number. Several motorcycles can be parked in the same parking spot, but the parking fee must be paid for each motorcycle parked. The parking fee is always vehicle-specific.

At a time-limited place: no time of arrival is required on a motorcycle or a moped, but the time limit stated in the traffic signs also applies to a motorcycle and a moped. The user of the moped car must indicate the time of arrival.

There are parking areas for heavy vehicles in different parts of the city. They require a signed parking contract. The contract can be made for a fixed term or on a continuous basis. For more information, see the Kuopion pysäköinti website (in Finnish).

A parking permit for persons with reduced mobility is issued to a person who can drive themselves or be transported. Even in this case, the permit is granted to persons with reduced mobility, not to persons transporting them. During parking, the parking permit must be placed in a visible place in the vehicle inside the windscreen.

Read the general instructions for parking with a parking permit for persons with reduced mobility (pdf, in Finnish).

Further information can also be found on the The Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities website (in Finnish).

In addition to the police, parking control also supervises off-road parking. The National Police Board has issued national guidelines on parking supervision in the practical application of the Off-Road Traffic Act.

According to section 1 of the Off-Road Traffic Act, the purpose is to prevent harm to nature or other environment, natural livelihoods, public recreational use, other interests or private interests caused by the use of motorised vehicles on the off-road and to promote road safety.

A landowner’s permit is always required for off-road parking. The municipality may separately authorise the use of land areas for off-road traffic in its area. In the absence of such a permit, stopping and parking are also not permitted in the municipality’s land areas. The City of Kuopio has outlined that it is not permitted to park in land and park areas owned by the City of Kuopio unless this has been marked separately with traffic signs or, for example, with a claim procedure.

If there is no border line at the edge of the road on the street, then there is no shoulder on the road. Thus, the area outside the asphalted area is terrain. The same applies to the grassland area next to the asphalt-covered roadway. Also, any sandy area outside the roadway, possibly caused by parking or stopping, which is formed by illegal off-road traffic, does not entitle you to park without the landowner’s permission.

Illegal activity – no matter how common sense and considerate of other road users it is considered in the public debate – cannot be protected in the legal order. The road and terrain are defined according to the law, not the opinions of individuals.

Parking means standing the vehicle with or without a driver, excluding short-term standing, boarding or leaving the vehicle or loading or unloading the vehicle.

Stopping is in question when a person gets out of or gets into a stopped vehicle, or a vehicle is loaded or unloaded. In order to be a stop, a short-term waiting time is calculated, but not, for example, a service activity in the shop. Whether the driver is seated in the stopped vehicle or whether the engine is running does not distinguish between stopping and parking.

In accordance with the police instructions, loading or unloading must be carried out as follows:

• • On a road where stopping is prohibited; Stop on the pavement
  • On road where parking is prohibited; Stop in lane
  • On a road where parking is permitted and parking spaces full; Park in the lane next to the parked cars.

The prohibitions and restrictions related to parking and stopping as well as traffic signs and their explanations have been compiled in a separate memorandum. Get familiar with the signs and see the pictures (pdf, in Finnish)

Parking arrangements in plot areas are always the responsibility of the owner/holder of the plot. Parking shall be carried out in accordance with the parking rules and traffic signs specified by the owner of the plot. If there is a need to deviate from the parking rules of the plot area, the person parking must contact the owner/holder of the plot or their representative (e.g. property management). Parking control cannot grant deviating parking permits for private plots.

Parking control may only be carried out in a plot area on the basis of a separate request or a control agreement, which is required by law. Parking control always operates in accordance with the instructions specified with the owner of the plot. The owners/holders of the plot are requested to note that according to the Road Traffic Act, which entered into force on 1 June 2020, the access to the site must be in an appropriate condition in order for the control work to be carried out.

The holder of a parking permit for person with reduced mobility must find out the parking rules in use when parking in the plot area.

Stopping and parking is prohibited on the pavement, bicycle lane, pedestrian crossing and on a 5-metre distance before a pedestrian crossing or a crossing bicycle lane. Stopping and parking are also prohibited at a junction and closer than five metres to the nearest edge of the crossing road or its intended continuation on the road.

For stopping and parking prohibitions, see figure (pdf, in Finnish).

You may not park at the bus stop, but stopping is only permitted to pick up or drop off a passenger.

See the illustration of the restrictions related to parking (pdf).

A request for removal may be issued to the vehicle if the vehicle has been parked on the road or in the terrain in violation of the parking provision. In a private plot area, a request for removal may be issued at the justified request of the owner/holder of the plot. A so-called local transfer may also be relevant, if the parking of the vehicle causes danger/harm to traffic safety or other traffic. A local transfer may also be carried out on the road area due to maintenance or cleaning, repair or construction work, an event to be arranged or because the vehicle is parked on a rescue route in violation of the Rescue Act. Legislation on the topic can be accessed here (in Finnish).

If there is no response to the removal request by the deadline, a stock transfer can be carried out, as stated in the legislation. This is at the expense of the owner or holder of the vehicle. A vehicle may also be transferred to storage immediately if there are five parking penalty fees imposed on the vehicle that have not been paid and they no longer can be appealed against. In this case, the tyre lock can also be used in accordance with the Act on Parking (727/2011).

The Kuntolaakso parking facility next to the Olvi Areena has plenty of parking spaces. However, Kalpa recommends using public transport or coming to matches by walking or cycling. During Kalpa’s games, the parking facility has traffic control.

The Council House and Kasarmipuisto parking areas are available on weekdays after 16:00 and on weekends. There are two disabled parking spaces at the end of Kansalaisopisto. Parking is only allowed in marked parking spots. Parking in parks and grassland areas is prohibited. The Kuopio Hall parking area, the courtyards and fields of the Niirala and Klassika schools will also serve as the parking areas for Kalpa’s game days. The Kalpa website contains up-to-date information on parking.

Parking control and the Eastern Finland Police require that viewers participating in matches comply with the valid provisions of the Road Traffic Act on parking. Particular care is required in the vicinity of intersections and pedestrian crossings and on rescue routes, which must always be free from parking. Parking on pavements and cycling lanes is also strictly prohibited.