Oslo's newly-elected city council has said that cars will be banned from the centre of the Norwegian capital by 2019, in what will be the first permanent restriction of its kind. "We want to make it better for pedestrians, cyclists. It will be better for shops and everyone," said Green Party negotiator Lan Marie Nguyen Berg, according to Reuters.
The council, an alliance between Norway's Labour, Green, and Socialist Left parties, plans to build 60km of extra cycle lanes over the next three years, as well as boosting investment in the existing bus and tram networks that serve the city centre.
The Guardian notes that the proposal has raised concerns among local business owners, due to the fact that 11 of Oslo's 57 shopping centres are in the proposed car-free zone.
It also remains to be seen how business deliveries and disabled commuters will access the city centre. The council said these users would be catered for and that it would undertake a process of consultation and study before implementing the new car ban.
Norway has committed to reducing air pollution by 2020, with nitrogen oxide levels to be reduced from 162,000 tonnes in 2013 to 156,000 tonnes in 2020. It also plans to drop ammonia levels from 27,000 tonnes in 2013 to 25,000 tonnes in 2020. Its sulphur dioxide targets have already been met.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
