In Kajaani, the Land Use, Planning and Land Authority Department is responsible for planning and contracting out the planning of roads and streets.
The Regional Planning Department is responsible for:
- the planning of streets, roads and public areas,
- drawing up project-specific plans and
- acting as an expert in its field in matters relating to street, road and traffic planning.
The overarching policies of traffic planning are already formulated during zoning, starting with the master plan and local plans. As zoning progresses to detailed planning, the outline of the required traffic arrangements becomes more detailed also, and a traffic plan is made. The traffic plan specifies, for example, how the streetscape is divided between different modes of transport.
The traffic plan is followed by a street plan that sets forth:
- the precise dimensions of the street,
- elevation,
- public lighting and drainage solutions and
- surface materials and plants.
A street plan is made for all the sites to be built and redeveloped whenever they involve any significant technical changes. A Participation and Evaluation Planning event (PEP) is organised for current street plans where residents can examine and comment on the drafts of the plans. Such events are announced in newspapers and by letter to stakeholders. A week after the PEP event, the plans will be put on public display at the Kajaani Info and on the city website, allowing residents to comment on them for a period of two weeks if they wish.
No separate street plan is made for individual changes, such as the placing of road signs or the building of a speed bump.