It will gradually be incorporated into streets without diesel cars from 2022

The climate strategy adopted by the city council also states that the area within Ring 3 will be free of fossils by 2024. The goal is further that by 2030 it will not be possible to drive a diesel or gasoline car in Oslo.

The policy is in line with the government’s climate report, which allows for more zero-emission zones. But the formal government permit is not yet in effect.

First of all, the city council aims to ensure that some of the roads that are within the car-free urban life zone in the city center are emptied of diesel and gasoline cars. It will take place from 2022, and the city council is now investigating where the first zone will be within the car-free urban living area.

– It says a bit about how quickly we want to escalate this, says an enthusiastic Berg.

The spokesman for the Transport Progress Party in the Storting, Bård Hoksrud, shakes his head.

– It is simply unacceptable that Lan and the Oslo City Council have now proposed. The worst thing is that they hit people with bad advice. People who can barely afford a used diesel car to run absolutely necessary errands with kids, warns Hoksrud, who recently bought an electric car.

– But it was only to avoid taxes, recalls the FRP representative from Vestfold and Telemark.

– Do the MDGs deliberately try to provoke parties like Sp and Frp and the users of diesel / gasoline vehicles, Lan Marie Berg?

– No. This is absolutely necessary to solve the climate crisis, make city air cleaner and school roads safer. And then we do this at the same time as we improve public transport service, build cycle paths at record speed, and support the roll-out of electric cars and car sharing throughout Oslo, the city council responds.

It does not accept the premise that it is city people who get bad advice who depend on driving a used diesel car, which is hit hardest by the fossil car ban on more and more central roads.

– Most of the people who buy a car in Norway buy a used car, and now there are a lot of used models to choose from, also among electric cars. Electric cars pay less than half the price on the toll ring, have much cheaper parking, and are much cheaper to operate than fossil cars, Berg says.

– Public transport service is also improving and school-age children can now travel for free and young people at half price, he adds.

– Are you accused of constantly using a whip instead of a carrot?

– I completely disagree with that. We spend large sums of money to facilitate travel on public transport and support zero-emission solutions for individuals and companies through the climate fund. The problem is that many argue that we should only use carrots in climate policy. It didn’t work, replies Lan Marie Berg.

It is not satisfied that Norway has reduced emissions by 3 per cent in 30 years.

– If we want to achieve the climate goals of Norway and Oslo, and at the same time make our cities greener and better to live in, we must use the whole toolbox. When there are fewer gasoline and diesel cars in the city, there will also be cleaner air and safer school roads and bicycles, and better space for buses and railways. It benefits everyone.

Bård Hoksrud in Frp believes that the diesel and petrol-free streets in central Oslo will also affect the many motorhome tourists on holiday in Norway.

– In practice, this will prevent any motorhome tourist from entering the capital. No, this discrimination against diesel and gasoline drivers goes too far.

– What are your measures to curb pollution and bad air in the busiest and most populated city in the country then, Hoksrud?

– We do not need to rush the measures like the MDGs and the city council do. In addition, diesel and gasoline cars are equipped with increasingly cleaner engines, responds the FRP representative.