5 November 2022 last year: Three BMWs line up on the brand new motorway between Bergen and Os. The road has been a major project for the road authorities, which shortens the journey time along the coast on the E39. But the road has also become a place with many new traffic-dangerous situations, as the three drivers news wrote about on Saturday. The three cars turn, one by one, and drive back where they came from, i.e. towards the direction of travel. The speed limit is 100 km/h on the new road. The video published by news has caused several people to react. – Having a driver’s license is not an international right, says Atle Heradstveit in the traffic section in the West police district, after seeing the video. Now it also appears that the police say they did not know about the case before it appeared in the media. The police did not know about Police station chief in Bjørnafjorden, Oddbjørn Dyrdal, says that they believe they have identified one of the three license plate numbers well enough for them to proceed with the case. – But there is a way to go from there to be sure of who has driven the car, he says, and points out that it does not have to be the owner who is the driver. According to Dyrdal, the police will now pursue the case further, even though no one has reported the incident to them. Svenn Egil Finden in the Norwegian Road Administration confirms that they have not reported the case. – We do not report such things, pure traffic law violations. It is not part of our mandate. He points out that their monitoring must be used to ensure operations and traffic safety. – We can gladly make the police aware of such situations, but it is probably not our task to report them. The police do not agree on that. It was Os- and Fusaposten that mentioned the incident with the three cars first. Atle Heradstveit in the traffic section in the West police district believes that the Swedish Road Administration should have made contact. Photo: Sissel Rikheim / news The police believe everyone has a responsibility – Whose responsibility is it to report such things to the police? – I think everyone has a responsibility here. If someone comes across something like this, they must call and let them know so that it is caught and stopped as early as possible, says Atle Heradstveit, section leader of the traffic section in the West police district. – Do you think that the National Road Administration should report such incidents when they look at their monitoring? – Yes, it is quite natural that they report it to the police. Surveillance not ready for identification The video that the Road Administration has shared with the police has not provided clear answers. This type of camera is not designed to identify license plates. But it can be visible, for example if the car drives quietly and the light is good. – Our task is not to carry out police work, our task is to monitor the safety of the tunnel, says Finden in the Swedish Road Administration. Svenn Egil Finden in the Norwegian Road Administration. Photo: Gunnar Grindstein / news Heradstveit in the police would have liked to have been notified as early as possible about the case. – It has been a long time since this happened. Is enough being done to stop this type of driving? – It is a timely question. I became aware of this situation at the weekend, and I would have liked to have done it sooner. He points out that this incident does not show an elderly person being confused by a new type of road and new signs, as news has also written about. – These are people who know what they are doing. They line up, make deals and drive in a way that puts people in danger. Mayor reacts Trine Lindborg (Ap) is mayor in Bjørnafjorden municipality. Many of the residents of her municipality use the road frequently. – Driving like this is not okay. We can’t walk around and be afraid that someone will meet us, it must be a safe road. We must put our trust in the Swedish Road Administration taking these matters seriously. Trine Lindborg, mayor of Bjørnafjorden municipality. Photo: Even Norheim Johansen Ho points out that it is the police and the Swedish Road Administration that have responsibility and expertise in the area. – When the police have been made aware of this incident, I expect that in collaboration with the Swedish Road Administration they will find out what they need to investigate further and to uncover who this is. Here the turnaround is underway. Photo: Statens Vegvesen – Russian roulette The Norwegian Road Administration does not have a record of how many times someone has driven against the direction of travel since the tunnel opened on 31 October, but Finden indicates that it has probably happened 8-10 times. Atle Heradstveit in the traffic section of the police calls the drivers “risk takers” who are willing to expose others to danger. – In my view, this is Russian roulette. The danger of an accident with great damage potential is revealed at present. If the drivers are caught, they can expect a fine and the loss of their driving license for a period. – Having a driver’s license is a trust society gives you. If you are not going to have that trust, then I have a system where I take back that driver’s license. There have been several situations on the new road south of Bergen:
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Driving the wrong direction on the E39 between Os and Bergen
