Electric cars to use E18 public transport lanes on weekends again

The decision to shunt electric vehicles out of the public transport lanes on the E18 west of Oslo has been partially reversed.

“We see that on the E18 from the west, accessibility has deteriorated. This applies particularly at weekends,” transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygård said.

EVs will be able to use public transport lanes on the stretch between Asker – Lysaker on weekends in a couple of weeks once the formalities have been sorted by the authorities.

Nygård said the government would also open a stretch of the E6 from the north to the south of Oslo for electric cars but that the E18 was the focus for now.

Oslo Municipality has warned against the decision to reopen transport lanes on the E18 to electric cars, as the closure of the Ring 1 road in central Oslo is already congested with public transport.

Vy to change ticket control practice

Rail firm Vy has said that it will loosen its ticket control practices after being criticised for being too strict.

“We see that the practice we have had is too strict. We see that it has a number of unfortunate consequences for our customers that we do not want to have,” executive director at Vy, Erik Røhne, told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.

Vy’s ticket policy previously had no room for discretion. Travellers either had a valid ticket or they didn’t, which meant they would be issued a penalty fare.

The rail firm would continue to be strict as it has said there is a high percentage of fare jumpers on its train, but its ticket inspectors would be more lenient when it came to genuine mistakes.

Lightning weather warning

A weather warning for lightning has been issued in eastern Norway and Agder by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

The weather institute has recommended disconnecting electrical appliances, seeking shelter (if caught in the storm), and avoiding open plains and large trees. It also advised against swimming and bathing.

Heavy rain showers are also expected alongside the thunder and lightning.

Erna Solberg promises more road construction if Conservatives win the election

Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg has promised an investment in road construction if re-elected PM at next year’s general election.

“We want to increase activity on road construction and build some of these large projects that have been planned,” Solberg told Norwegian newswire NTB.

“What is very strange about the government’s proposal for the National Transport Plan is that they included a number of projects that have not been fully planned and are at the thought stage. At the same time, they took away projects that have cost billions of dollars to plan, such as Hordfast and Ringeriksbanen, where it was just before work could begin,” she said.