One in three Bergen cars leaves, has only eliminated a fraction – NRK Vestland

– We will become the greenest city in Norway and offer an unrivaled environmental policy.

This is what Bergen Councilor Roger Valhammer (Labor Party) said when all four city council parties, Labor Party, MDG, KrF and Liberal Party, presented their political platform following the autumn 2019 elections.

The platform stated, among other things, that car traffic in Bergen would decline by 30 percent from 2019 to 2023.

But Miljøløftet’s annual report in Bergen shows that car traffic has only decreased by 3.1 percent from 2017 to 2019.

This despite the fact that, among other things, there will be more toll stations in the capital of western Norway.

– It’s better than nothing, but it’s miles from where we need to be to reach the council’s own goal of a 30 percent decrease over the council’s term, says Councilor Jarle Brattespe (SV).

– Now they must put the cards on the table soon and show how they are going to achieve their own goals, says Brattespe.

Ask the City Council to be part of the environmental contribution to SV

At the city council meeting in April, Bergen SV proposed eliminating a thousand parking spaces in the central parts of Bergen. In June, they proposed introducing public transportation lanes on all four-lane highways in the city. Both parties voted no to the city council party.

– Either the city council must stop voting against the proposal to SV, or they must present their own proposals for the reduction of traffic, says Brattespe.

The City Council also voted against SV’s proposal to find out what it takes to reduce car traffic by 30 percent.

Meiner good luck with both

Bakke says they’re lucky with all of this from before.

– We already have a fairly restrictive parking policy in downtown Bergen. The city council is clear that there will be public transport on the eastern ring road, responds Councilor for the environment Thor Haakon Bakke (ODM).

But the annual decline must be five times faster for them to reach their own goals. The Environmental Agency will not be held responsible for the fact that automobile traffic has not decreased more than it has.

– I wasn’t a councilor for more than a couple of months in 2019. I think the pace needs to increase so that the traffic drops much faster, says Bakke.

It notes that the city council in 2020 introduced requirements for fewer cars per arch unit, increased parking fees and made plans for fossil-free zones in the city center. Also, there has been a huge increase in the number of cyclists in Bergen this year.

Hairy goals

Bakke says there is reason to believe that auto traffic in Bergen will continue to decline.

– But if it goes fast enough, we’ll see. 30 percent is a tough goal, but that’s what it takes, he says.

– That you call it a hairy goal, is that an indication that it is not feasible?

– No, it’s not. It’s a scary target because it’s a great target.

– You say it is necessary, does that mean you want to guarantee that they can do it in four years?

– It is difficult to guarantee, but of course we will work for it. I’m excited about what the 2020 annual report will look like, says Bakke.