Oslo To Ban All Cars From Its City Centre

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Politicians in the Norwegian capital have promised to ban all cars from the city centre within four years in a bid to reduce pollution.

The city council, which comprises representatives from the Labor, Green and Socialist Left parties, announced that there would be substantial investment in public transport, including more than 60km of bicycle lanes, by 2019.

The commitment to an investment in transport infrastructure seems in part to calm shopowner fears that the car ban will hurt small businesses.

‘We want to have a car-free centre,’ said Lan Marie Nguyen Berg, lead negotiator for the Green Party in Oslo.

‘We want to make it better for pedestrians, cyclists. It will be better for shops and everyone.’

The three parties said that exceptions could be made for cars carrying disabled people and vehicles transporting to goods. Buses and trams would continue to serve the centre of Oslo, they said.

Other European countries, including London and Madrid, have introduced measures to reduce congestion.

Paris introduced a temporary car ban last month, but Oslo is set to become the first European city to introduce a blanket ban.

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