Villagers raise money for new tricycle after county removes loaner

More than 100 people contributed to help Milja Seppänen, 23, of Vaala get a new tricycle after North Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county Pohde took back her loaned bike on safety grounds, Yle reported. The replacement cost more than 3,000 euros.

Seppänen says she uses the tricycle to go to the shop and library. Her mother, Paula Laaksonen, said donations came from people in nearby municipalities as well as others who did not know the family.

Pohde said its assessment found that Seppänen could not ride independently and safely, so it would no longer provide a bicycle as a rehabilitation aid. The county considered it a leisure item instead. National guidelines for assistive devices say a cyclist must not have problems with perception, vision or memory that affect safety, and that a bicycle should support independent daily activities.

Seppänen had used a tricycle provided through an assistive-device lending service for years. Two Pohde employees assessed her riding in Vaala shortly before May Day. Laaksonen said her daughter was excited about an upcoming celebration and rode unusually fast that day, although she normally cycles slowly.

Pohde said the use test can be repeated if needed and that the decision depends on a person’s functional ability, not their diagnosis. The county had initially recommended that Seppänen get her own bike as a leisure item, but later apologised for that advice and withdrew it after deciding that cycling was not safe.

Laaksonen said her daughter never rides alone and described the removal of the loaned bicycle as unreasonable. Without a bike, she said, Seppänen can travel only by wheelchair or taxi.