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On a quiet side street in Oslo’s popular Ullevål Hageby, 60 parking spaces will be removed to ensure safer cycling conditions. – We couldn’t believe this was true, says resident Eva Simonsen (74).
ULLEVÅL (Nettavisen): Oslo’s plan for a new cycle lane network will have important local consequences, now also outside the city center. On a small street 15-20 minutes by bike from the city center of Oslo, the municipality has planned a ‘facilitation for mixed traffic’.
Eventyrveien is a quiet street 460 meters long with a zone of 30 that runs from Sognsveien, near the Ullevål stadium, to the Blindern university area. Here, all street parking spaces will give way to a new cycle path that is part of Oslo’s planned cycle path network.
The reason is to create safer conditions for cyclists and pedestrians. But residents are protesting vigorously and believe the plans will have the exact opposite effect.
– It was an abuse, and quite desperate, says Eva Simonsen (74) to Nettavisen.
She tells Nettavisen that she and her husband Lars Haavik (76) did not receive any notice of the change, but found out through acquaintances. They are powerfully triggered by both change and process. (see the full video of the interview with the previous two).
– We couldn’t believe this was true. It came out of nowhere completely. So it was a big shock, says Simonsen.
– A mockery of our health and living situation.
The couple is among the many neighbors who have reacted strongly to the municipality’s cycling plans. Eventyrveien has houses on both sides, and in many of the apartments, which are part of the protected Ullevål Hageby, there is no possibility of parking on the private plots.
– The arguments that we can pedal are a mockery of our health and our living situation, writes Eva Simonsen (74) in her complaint to the municipality.
She describes the loss of a street parking opportunity as serious. She explains to Nettavisen that everyday life with constant doctor visits, shopping and other daily necessities becomes almost impossible if the couple also has to park far away and drive a lot in search of a place to leave their car.
– It has also been a messy and amateur case processing, adds spouse Lars Haavik.
Also read: You must secure parking – more than a thousand parking spaces have been removed: – I get completely tired
– It’s pretty creepy!
The online newspaper has reviewed several dozen complaints about the case with the Urban Environment Agency. Many residents say that removing parking spaces will increase the speed of both cyclists and cars.
Eva Simonsen points out to Nettavisen that bikes are now coming faster and faster down the street, that the combination of electric scooters, bikes and electric bikes at higher speeds in no way provides greater safety for other road users.
– Politicians fall asleep with the Danish idea of pedaling calmly with flowers in the basket. But many of the bikes are motorized. They come at great speed!
The perception is supported by many residents.
– As of today, there is a dense and fast bike traffic through Eventyrveien. Own experiences and that of other neighbors confirm that many bicycles / electric bikes maintain a very high speed, and dangerous situations constantly arise, when neighbors, including the elderly and young children, must be careful not to be hit, writes a neighbor in your complaint to the municipality.
Also read: Nabogata is full of available parking spaces Øyvind cannot request
Even among those who do not drive a car, but only ride a bicycle, there are protests:
– I don’t have a car, I ride my bike often, but I still don’t see the point that this road is the one that should be prioritized for the bike lane !! This is pretty creepy in an area where the vast majority have no other parking options than street parking. You already ride a bike and walk safely in Eventyrveien, writes a resident of the municipality.
– The section is not safe enough.
In the entire area between Ullevål and Blindern, resident parking was introduced in 2018.
From before, a bicycle lane marked in red runs almost parallel. It takes about three minutes to get to the university from where Eventyrveien starts if you follow the bike path along Sognsveien and turn right at the intersection at John Colletts Plass.
Pedaling on the route planned by the municipality in Eventyrveien today takes a little longer because you have to maintain a lower speed. But the existing route, which partly runs the same road as the tram, is not safe enough for cyclists, according to Mari Svolsbru, section leader of the Urban Environment Agency.
– Many residents believe that eliminating street parking spaces leads to increased traffic and higher speeds for both cyclists and cars. What professional basis do you have for parked cars to create unsafe traffic conditions on a residential street with a zone of 30?
– We have a lot of experience with similar projects in other places and we implement measures similar to this one. A more open street race provides better visibility and accessibility. That is what we are trying to achieve. But it’s a bit unpredictable whether it will be faster or not, we’ve experienced both, says Svolsbru.
He claims the agency measures speed afterward to see if it is necessary to slow down.
– Whether a street can receive more traffic depends largely on the role of the street in the road network and whether the changes that are made provide a more intuitive route for motorists. This is also something we can follow up on later, he says.
Also read: Here the municipality of Oslo breaks its own parking rule
– May be unfortunate for some
– Why didn’t you notify residents and give them a chance to comment?
– There may be some residents who want a notice and have not received it. We have a system where we ship based on a record of addresses, and there are always some that end up outside the records. Of course, it is unfortunate that someone is not notified, says Mari Svolsbru.
In a letter signed by 30 residents, Ullevål Haveby Vel writes: “We are disappointed that the municipality has not contacted the vel association or the affected residents regarding plans to establish a cycle path in Eventyrveien.” Why didn’t you do that?
– The round of inquiries just ended now, and then we follow a response plan after that. Everyone should receive an answer.
– This plan creates problems for at least 50 residents who now have to find a parking space on neighboring streets where space is tight from before. Some of the neighbors are considering moving because of this. Why is this the correct priority?
– It’s a political issue. It has been decided that cycling and walking should take priority over street parking.
– I have spoken with residents who are totally dependent on having access to a car near them. What do you have to say to them and other people with challenges that require easy access to the car?
– We will have to look at all the comments we have received about parking. Our job is to facilitate the best possible within the framework conditions that we have. Sometimes it has unfortunate consequences for some.
– It is not a one-to-one relationship
– Where do you think the neighbors who are now losing their parking space on the street should park?
– There is no one-to-one relationship between housing and access to street parking in Oslo. Parking is one of several street use areas and conflicting interests may arise.
– Resident parking was introduced on this street in 2018. Were neighbors told that the spaces would disappear two years later? The bicycle plan had been adopted, hadn’t it?
– The implementation of immediate measures for bicycles in the cycle lane network is permanently planned. It was not clarified as of 2018 that this work would begin in 2020. Resident parking does not guarantee free space right outside the door, but does entitle you to use parking within the zone you live in, says Svolsbru.
– Do you understand that people are provoked?
– I can understand someone provoking himself, yes.
– Have any of the residents requested that I remove the parking lot?
– I don’t know, but this is a bigger bike path network and a link between the target points in this. We see that here a road safety problem arises with poor visibility and poor visibility when there is oncoming traffic.
– Many people now own electric bicycles, and many of the residents believe that what you do will make bicyclists speed up, while parked cars slow down.
– Now electric bicycles have a maximum speed of 25 km / h, it does not pose any danger. It is probably true that parked cars slow down, but it also gives poor visibility, says the section director of the Urban Environment Agency.
Also Read: Gave Residents Huge Bill – Then Parking Spaces Removed: – This Is Not How We Should Continue In This City
– A desperate situation
The work to carry out the route and preferably the parking spaces have been postponed from October and a new start date has not yet been set. But it is not because of the protests of the neighbors:
– We don’t have a start date yet. One of the inputs refers to the drawing at the intersection and deals with better safeguarding the values of cultural heritage. We must complete this in collaboration with Byantikvaren, before we can begin, says the section leader at the Urban Environment Agency.
Eva Simonsen and her husband are upset about the plans. If the plans are implemented, it creates big problems, he argues.
– I don’t know how we’ll manage without the car nearby. We remain isolated, and I think it is very arrogant to imagine that we are going to pedal. It is a completely desperate situation. When they remove the cars, they create an access road for traffic.
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