The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency has the authority to issue prohibitions and restrictions concerning public channels and other water areas. A typical prohibition is a prohibition on the creation of wash, while the most typical restriction is a water traffic speed restriction, for example.
An application for a prohibition or restriction may be submitted by a municipality or by a natural or legal person resident in the municipality or by an authority, community or the owner of the water area concerned. Proceedings for the imposition of a prohibition or restriction may also be instituted by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency or a regional Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment.
Traficom may impose a prohibition or restriction if it is deemed necessary to safeguard traffic, the environment, fishery or another industry, or for the general use of nature for recreation or another public interest (section 101 of the Water Traffic Act). The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency may also prohibit or restrict the use of a certain type of motor-driven watercraft at a regional level. A typical example of such a prohibition would be a personal watercraft prohibition. The criteria for imposing such a prohibition are stricter than those of other prohibitions. Traficom may impose such a prohibition if the use of the motor-driven watercraft in question causes significant harm to nature or the environment, to fishery or another industry, the general use of nature for recreation or another public interest.
The party responsible for the marking of a prohibition or restriction in a public channel is the waterway manager. In other areas, the party responsible for the marking of a prohibition or restriction is the municipality whose territory the prohibition or restriction concerns. Exceptions to this are restricted overhead clearance signs, overhead cable-crossing signs and cable and pipeline panels and their directional signs, the installation of which is the responsibility of the owner of the structure, overhead cable, cable or pipeline. Traficom must be notified of the installation of waterway signs and light signals.
Use the link below to apply for a regional prohibition or restriction or prohibition or restriction on the use of a certain type of watercraft in Traficom’s e-services. You can also apply for a prohibition or restriction by downloading and filling in the PDF form provided below (in Finnish and Swedish).