Press

A study shows that increasing the tolls to such a high level will reduce car traffic in Oslo by 27 percent and thus cut nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions. Last winter, there were four days with high air pollution in Oslo. On such days this winter, heavy vehicles will have to pay 480 kroner in tolls if the proposal is adopted in both Oslo and Akershus. The city council has also announced its intention to ban private cars from the downtown area by 2019 as part of a plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions by half. Oslo is also due to get two new bicycle expressways in a move designed to have cycling account for between 10 and 20 percent of all daily trips in the nine largest cities. Currently, only Kristiansand comes close to that mark, with eight percent of daily commutes done on two wheels. (The Local Norway)