Soon, Ring 1 will close. Now the electric cars will be thrown out of the public transport field.

Since 2003, electric cars have had access to the public transport network in Oslo and Akershus. From Monday it will be over.

The ban is one of the measures to reduce car traffic in and around Oslo in connection with the closure of Ring 1 on 1 July.

It is happening because the Hammersborg Tunnel will be rebuilt and lowered during the new government quarter. The Vaterland tunnel is also being upgraded.

– Why does the ban come into force before the closure?

– We are doing this to notify that there is a need to reduce traffic in central Oslo, and to assess the effect before the closure on 1 July, says project manager traffic in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Halvard Gavelstad.

When the road is closed, the overall traffic to the center of Oslo must be significantly reduced to avoid queues and congestion in the Opera tunnel, which will take over much of the traffic for Ring 1.

The electric cars must stay away from the public transport zone until the road reopens in three years.

– What if it turns out that closing the public transport lane for electric cars does not reduce traffic? Will it affect the overall plan?

– No. We expect that a large proportion of those who can will leave the car and travel by public transport. This does not only apply to electric vehicles. It is important to have a decrease in total traffic, says Gavelstad.

Valid from the day the signs are changed

On the national and European roads, the signs will be changed on the night of 6 and 7 May. The ban applies from the day the signs are changed.

Oslo municipality introduces the same ban on its roads. They must be finished with changing the signs by 1 June. Here, too, the ban applies from the day the signs are changed.

– Have you worked well enough with communication to reach everyone who is affected by this?

– We consider it so that we now reach out very well through media coverage, our press releases, free text boards and contact with the affected municipalities.

Halvard Gavelstad

Project manager traffic in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration

Simplified submission: NOK 8,200

Despite the ban, the police have no plans for more frequent checks of the public transport area in the future.

– But we will monitor the situation and make continuous assessments, says section leader Tomm Berger from the Oslo police district.

Berger believes there will be “somewhat more queues” as a result of the electric car ban, but points out that the long queues after the closure of one lane on Ring 3 gradually eased.

Motorists, whether they drive an electric car or a fossil-fuel car, can expect a simplified fine of NOK 8,200 if they are caught in the public transport zone, he says.

Unnecessarily strict

The Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association believes the ban is unnecessarily strict.

They want an exception for electric drivers who drive together and for electric vans and trucks. They have sent a letter to the municipality and the Road Administration about this.

The association believes that exemptions for goods and lorries will not be an obstacle to public transport in the capital area.

There are around 12,900 electric vans and trucks in Oslo and Akershus.

– We understand that measures must be taken for the best possible traffic flow during this demanding period. But we believe our proposals would make a positive contribution to that, says general secretary Christina Bu.

Better accessibility and more queues

Gavelstad believes that removing the electric cars from the public transport zone will provide significantly better accessibility for the buses on the national roads.

– There are now so many electric cars in the public transport sector, especially during rush hour, that the buses are significantly delayed.

– What do you base that on?

– It is based on registrations. We expect that the speed of the buses will increase by at least 10 per cent when the electric cars are removed from the public transport lanes.

But on the street network in several municipalities, queues may form in some places. The Swedish Road Administration will monitor this closely and continuously assess mitigating measures.

– We initially expect more queuing. It will adapt over time. Both Ruter and the railway side are well equipped to handle increased traffic, says Gavelstad.

Ruter says they are ready for more people to leave their cars and travel with them.

– There are no plans to set up extra departures, but we are following the situation closely, says communications manager Cathrine Myhren-Haugen.