Increasing the tolls will not have a significant effect on the traffic into Oslo the Institute of Transport Economics believes.
– Even if the toll increases, and even if we are taking the bus, we want to buy groceries in the stores and we want the plumber to come to our place to change the package in our bathroom, Deputy Director Kjell Werner Johansen at Institute of Transport Economics said to NRK. He does not believe the toll increase in Oslo will affect retail trade into the capital that much.
– Even though the amount of toll money each driver will have pay increases sharply to a much higher amount than before, the cost are still relatively modest for most people. Besides, many just make their customers pay for the increased costs by increasing the prices of their services or their products , Johansen says.
He says that the traffic of private cars to Oslo is not increasing, but there is still room for improvement.
– It’s still possible to reduce the number of people driving into Oslo in their cars by a signifant amount, but the more people you succeed in getting to change their mode of transports from cars to other modes of transport, the less of an effect you will get from further initiatives and efforts.
From 2017 it will cost more to enter Oslo for motorists coming from the west to Oslo at the busiest times of day . Diesel cars have to pay 58 kroner, while gasoline cars will have to pay 53 kroner. Outside of rush hour, the prices will be 48/43 respectively.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
