More Pollution Leads to New Restrictions on Drivers

Increasingly poor air quality in Oslo and other larger cities is forcing politicians to consider measures in order to decrease traffic and dangerous emissions.

Research shows that newer diesel cars emit more nitrogen dioxide than the older models - a link that was made when looking closer at recent and increased level of pollution in the larger cities in Norway.

A special committee named by the City of Oslo is working on coming up with suitable measures to improve air quality, and suggestions include prohibiting diesel cars on certain days in the winter, and only allowing cars carrying two or more persons.

"Prohibiting diesel cars should be absolutely last resort," says Inger Elisabeth Sagedal to NRK, Communications Manager at the Norwegian Automobile Federation. She thinks that the focus should first and foremost be to improve public transit, such as creating an efficient network of government-sponsored buses that can transport commuters downtown from designated parking lots outside of the city.

"What is important is to create a transportation system that makes the commuters realize that the bus actually works way better than their car," she says.

Others are more supportive of the committee’s proposals. Geir Endregard from Norway’s Asthma and Allergy Association, points out the committee’s suggestion to limit diesel cars on the road as the most important one. "They emit 30 times more nitrogen dioxide as regular cars," he tells Aftenposten, "which will have long-term consequences on people’s health."

Endregard thinks that all the measures will somehow have to include diesel cars. "It’s not going to be effective if all people driving cars on regular gas leave their vehicle at home, whereas all the ones carpooling drive diesel," he explains.

However, acting Communications Councillor , Bård Folke Fredriksen, emphasizes that it is still very early in the process to draw any conclusions. "It is too early for dramatic headlines," he says. Lots of research, studies and evaluation remains before the committee will be able to talk about which measures and tools will be the most effective.

(NRK/Aftenposten)

Julie Ryland

Tuesday, 11 October 2011 06:37