Close to 91 percent of the cars in Oslo are now using stud-free winter tires, 86 percent of car owners in Bergen and Stavanger are also choosing the same.
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration is aiming at aims 85 through 90 percent of car owners in these cities use alternative winter tires. In Stavanger, car owners using studded winter tires has decreased by 11 percent since the municipality introduced the winter season studded tire fee scheme last year.
“This year has produced the highest number of motorists choosing stud-free winter tires for their vehicles,” the Norwegian Public Roads Administration writes in a press release Monday.
In Asker and Bærum, the proportion of stud-free tires is at 89 percent. In Drammen it’s at 84 percent and in Fredrikstad 82 percent. Tromsø is at the bottom of the list with 15 percent of motorists driving studded winter tires. In Trondheim, 72 percent of cars, compared to 66 percent last year.
In most of the 13 cities in which the Department of Motor Vehicles keeps track of the winter season studded tire fees is experiencing a significant increase of those driving without from last year, with the exception of Tromsø, where the portion remains unchanged at 15 percent of the car park.
– The Norwegian Public Roads Administration aims to reduce the percentage of stud-free tire use in the cities to zero use or to be between 80 and 85 percent. Municipalities in climate zones where winter weather is more stable or those which have greater challenges with winter weather, should determine these targets locally, states the agency.
The road network, however, also believes that it is advantageous for the use of studded winter tires.
“Although it is advantageous that a small portion of vehicles use studded winter tires because they make the roadway slightly rougher and create a better fit for non-studded winter tires. This will reduce the need for sea sand, which is an important source of dust,” says the Norwegian Road Administration.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
