Oslo’s ‘war on vehicles’
GREEN CITY: HAS ELIMINATED 700 PARKING SPOTS, REZONES CITY CENTRE ‘What’s most tragic about this is that people’s freedoms are attacked.’
Determined to go green, Oslo is slowly but surely ridding its city centre of motorists, angering some who say the “war on cars” is putting the brakes on individual freedoms.
“We have to give the city back to the people, so children can play safely, so elderly people can have more benches to sit on,” argues Hanna Marcussen outside Oslo’s City Hall, its cobblestone square recently blocked off to traffic.
“In order to do that, you have to get rid of cars, which take up a disproportionate amount of space,” the Greens city councillor in charge of urban development says.
While they may not seem spectacular, Oslo has devised a series of highly dissuasive measures: it has eliminated 700 parking spots, rezoned the city centre, turned streets into pedestrian walkways and has raised the price of congestion tolls.
It’s not the outright ban that was initially feared – and which prompted one lawmaker to call it “a Berlin Wall against motorists”.
But in a 1.9km2 zone in Oslo’s centre – where about 5 500 people live and 120 000 people work – the only cars to be seen are taxis, vehicles for the handicapped, emergency vehicles and a few lost and confused motorists.
Marcussen says: “In 2020, we will have eliminated most private cars.”
Sidewalk cafes can already be seen popping up, as well as outdoor furniture, bike paths and bike stands.
Designated “European Green Capital” by the European Commission for 2019, Oslo hopes the move will purify its air, encourage more cultural activities and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which it aims to cut by 95% by 2030.
Oslo is spearheading a broader trend, with other big cities like Paris, Madrid, Brussels and Helsinki all trying to reverse from the car-based society.
“What is most tragic about this war on cars is that politicians are attacking people’s freedoms and their wallets,” protests Jarle Aabo.
A public relations executive, Aabo writes the newsletter Yes to Cars in Oslo, which counts almost 23 000 members on Facebook – where comments are at times harsh.
Marcussen remains nonetheless confident. “With or without cars, a city centre will always change shape over time.”