At the weekend, one of the strongest electric car advantages will come to an end, when electric cars will be banned from driving on all public transport lanes throughout Oslo and Akershus.
Chaos takes over after chaos
The measure is being launched in connection with what is expected to be more than three years of continuous traffic chaos in Oslo.
In the USA, this type of closure of central highways is often called “carmageddon”,
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Now comes the traffic chaos
- On 15 April, Ring 3 will be narrowed to one lane in each direction at Nydalen, in connection with the rehabilitation of a smaller bridge. This is expected to create massive queues on the city’s main ring road, which will in turn spread to other roads
- On 1 June, this work is over, but then Ring 1 Hammersborg Tunnel at St. Olavs will be closed to traffic for three years when the road will be lowered 10 meters below the Government Quarter.
It will remove the only through-pass option between east and west in the center of Oslo. It is expected that most of the traffic will instead end up through the Opera tunnel, which is already at its capacity limit.
The Swedish Road Administration will therefore throttle traffic from 3 to 2 lanes, both from the south from Lysaker on the E18 and from the north from Furuset on the E6. The aim is to get the queue to remain outside the tunnel system – rather than in the tunnel system itself.
Read also: Throttling traffic on the E6 and E18 through Oslo for three years
Requires measures that will improve the situation
This state of emergency greatly worries NAF:
– We fear the closure will lead to traffic jams, chaos and increased travel times for many years to come if better arrangements are not made, says Ingunn Handagard, press manager at NAF.
They are critical that the only thing that has been done to prepare for this closure is to introduce even stronger regulations elsewhere.
– The traffic in the Hammersborg Tunnel has been equivalent to a four-lane motorway, with around 17,000 cars a day. But the measures to stem the chaos are only restrictions. It will not be enough to prevent chaos, says Handagard.
She believes that active measures must therefore be taken to get things done betternot just trying to make it as uncomfortable as possible to get people to avoid traveling.
Concretely, they want access parking, they do not see the obvious solution with trains as a possibility because the capacity at the train stations west of Oslo is exhausted.
– New entrance car parks with direct buses into Oslo should be in place. It can ease the pressure on buses and trains, and make public transport an option also for those who need a car on the first part of their journey. We are calling for better facilitation from both the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Ruter, says Handagard.
The Swedish Road Administration informs Nettavisen that it is not something they have considered. Ruter has not been able to immediately respond to the assessments that have been made.
Looking for cheaper public transport
At the same time as the chaos is expected, it has been decided to make it more expensive to travel on public transport for those who do not have a monthly pass. NAF is very skeptical about that.
They refer to figures showing that 1 in 3 in Oslo say they would travel more by public transport if the price were lower.
– Both the price of monthly tickets and single tickets are important for travelers in Oslo. When traffic is choked, it can lead to more people needing to travel by public transport from time to time. We believe that one must look again at whether lower prices for flexible tickets can be maintained during the construction period. Together with a strengthened route offer and driveway parking, these are measures that can make everyday life easier for people, says Handagard.
