City acknowledges spelling error on sign at South Esplanade in Helsinki

The city has acknowledged a spelling error on a sign located at South Esplanade in Helsinki. Jouni Korhonen, the city’s leading traffic expert, previously stated he had not noticed the mistake prior to an interview. Following the article’s publication, Yle received multiple reports indicating that the city had been informed of the error before this coverage.

Helsinkian Maija Varenius and her former neighbor from Stockholm noticed the mistake during a visit last summer. Varenius’ Swedish-speaking companion laughed upon seeing the sign, which left her feeling embarrassed for the city. She noted that the sign is placed high, making it understandable that the error could have gone unnoticed. After living in Stockholm for decades, Varenius expressed bewilderment over why the Swedish portion of the sign was left incorrect. She submitted a report about the issue to the city in July.

While she considers the error minor, she emphasizes its importance, stating that Swedish is Finland’s second official language.

Yle also received a message relating to a post on the social media platform X from December 2023, to which the city responded on December 8. The city’s environment sector indicated they would pass on the feedback.

Tiina Kiuru, head of the traffic and street planning unit, confirmed via email that three reports about the sign error have been submitted to the city’s feedback system. Two were received in late summer 2024 and one in December 2023. Despite the reports, the city decided not to fix the sign immediately, as it is temporary. The city has indicated that the sign will be corrected by the end of the year when the trial arrangements for Esplanadien are dismantled. According to Kiuru, the urgency of the correction is secondary to traffic safety concerns.