Several major exit routes from Oslo have occasionally been closed today due to slippery roads. Several wagon trains have slipped or struggled to get up the opposite slopes. Queues are long throughout the evening, and traffic around the entire Oslofjord is affected. Operations leader in the Oslo police district, Tore Barstad, says the healthcare system is struggling to get ahead. – For the fire service, this seems to be going quite well. For the healthcare system, there are greater challenges. On average, they spend twice as much time on all assignments. They have beefed up their preparedness, so hopefully they will do well. But we are worried. The worst that can happen is that help does not arrive. Operations manager in Oslo police district Tore Barstad. Photo: Kristine Kjendalen / news He recommends a home office tomorrow. – If we are going to make a recommendation for tomorrow; if there is an option for a home office, I think it might be a good idea. We have been involved in approximately 70 assignments that were traffic-related today. Fortunately, there are no injuries, says Barstad. Traffic chaos around the country On the Swedish Road Administration’s website you can see detailed traffic information for your area. Several minor delays have been reported at Oslo Airport at Gardermoen. Several mountain passes are also closed. Across the country, a lot of rain has been reported in the coming days. Among other things, problems have been reported on the following major roads: E6 from Oslo to Lillestrøm has two closed lanes in Djupdalen, where two vehicles are being recovered. At 19.51 the queue is still standing on the road. On the E6 south from Oslo, there are major truck train problems at Brynstunnelen and Skulleruddumpa. Traffic around the entire Oslofjord is slower than normal. E16 Sandvika – Sollihøgda: Slow moving queue towards the Skuitunnelen in the direction of Hønefoss. Wagon trains are stuck, but it should now be possible to pass. Inland: Snowfall and slippery roads lead to a number of traffic accidents, the police report. Vehicles are in the ditches all around. E134 at Haukelifjell is closed due to a lot of wind and snow. This also applies to most of the mountain passes in the west. Difficult driving conditions are reported on the E18 east of Grimstad. There is dense snow and slow-moving traffic in several places. In several places in Agder, there is mirror-like ice right under the snow. There has been a lot of water on several county roads in Lyngdal and Lindesnes in Agder. Flooding has been reported on county roads 4002, 459, 454 and 480. Lars Magnussen is unsure how he will get home because of the snow chaos. Photo: Kristine Kjendalen / news – There is no hint of interest in winter For motorist Lars Magnussen, it stopped when he was on his way home from work up Svartdalsveien in Oslo. – There were two buses on the sharpest bend up there. And I have problems with the car on the snow here in the first place. After all, it’s only uphill, roughly. It is a difficult situation, Magnussen tells news. After ten minutes of waiting on the ground, he has decided to drive down to the city again. There he will park the car and take the subway home. Magnussen has little left over for the cold season. – I don’t like winter. I have never done that. There is no trace of interest in winter. That’s the worst thing I know, says the driver. Tow truck driver Thor Traagstad Photo: Bård Nafstad / news Many tow trucks outside Tow truck driver Thor Traagstad is among those who have a lot of work ahead of him. – Now it’s just driving and driving. Now it will be a couple more hours. Then there will be a couple of hours to relax and then it will probably be a proper session, he says to news. Heavy snow on the E18 in Risør. Photo: Erik Wiig Andersen / news Traagstad describes difficult conditions. – It’s a bit chaotic down in the city. You try to trudge forward. It’s quite a circus down there. Then I think that people stay at home, then we can sort this out, I think. He estimates that there are between 1,000 and 2,000 plow trucks out in the Oslo area. Press manager at NAF, Ingunn Handagard. Photo: news Kjartan Rørslett NAF: – We knew this would come. Several of the traffic problems are caused by truck trains struggling on the slippery road. Now NAF is questioning whether the transport companies are taking too many chances. This is what press manager at NAF, Ingunn Handagard, says in a press release. – We believe that the transport companies should consider carefully whether they can allow the lorry trains to run when such difficult driving has been announced, says Handagard. – Of course we also understand that this means a loss of money, but traffic safety and accessibility must trump everything, she continues. Major delays in train and public transport There are major delays in public transport in Oslo and Viken on Wednesday afternoon due to a lot of snow, slippery roads and difficult driving conditions, says Ruter. Ring 2 is blocked by a bus that has skidded close to Carl Bernersplass in Oslo. When news’s reporter arrived at the scene at At 17.35 the bus had been there for 20 minutes. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news Delays of up to 60–90 minutes must be expected on some lines. Some settings may also occur, says a press release from the company. – Allow extra time if you have to travel this afternoon and evening, says press officer Øystein Dahl Johansen. A school bus from line 108 Vikersund – Hønefoss ended up on the side of the road in Pjåkaveien at Tyristrand in Ringerike on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Wenche Tømmervik / Wenche Tømmervik Bane Nor reports that there are delays on the Vestfold line between Sandefjord and Larvik as well as Holmestrand and Skoppum due to errors in track switching. The Drammensbanen, Askerbanen and Gjøvikbanen are also affected. There are also major delays at the Alnabru goods terminal due to snow and ice in the switch.
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Snow and traffic chaos in Norway – Operations leader says the emergency services are struggling – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
