– I think there are a lot of people. There are ten a year, says mayor Anne-Kari Holm (Sp) in Halden municipality. On Monday, a bus and a car collided head-on on Svinesundsveien, which is the main thoroughfare into the center of Halden. Espen Glomsrød (64) and his daughter Synne Glomsrød (32) died. Three other members of the family were taken to hospital. A bus driver has been charged with negligent homicide after the accident on Svinesundsveien on Monday. The driver pleads not guilty. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB The head-on collision was the third collision in three weeks on the busy road. Now, an overview news has obtained from the National Roads Administration shows that 101 vehicles have been involved in collisions on this road in the last ten years – broken down into 45 accidents. (See a detailed overview of the accident sites further down in the case.) And that on a stretch that is only 5.7 kilometers long. – This is probably the busiest road we have, says mayor Holm. Mayor Anne-Kari Holm in Halden wants a four-lane road from the E6 into the center of Halden. In the background is today’s two-lane road. Photo: Martin Tangen Schmidt / news Traffic data from the National Road Administration shows that approximately the same number of cars pass on this stretch every day as on the E6 over the new Svinesund Bridge, which is the main thoroughfare in and out of Norway. – Unlikely to be involved In the course of 10 years, 3 have died, 2 have been seriously injured and more than 60 people have suffered minor injuries. But according to department director Nils Karbø in the Norwegian Road Administration, Svinesundsveien does not have an abnormally high number of accidents. Calculations they have made show that the road has an accident rate of 0.16 accidents per million kilometers driven. – This means that there is a relatively low probability of being involved in an accident on this stretch. Provided that you drive according to the conditions and pay attention in traffic, he says. Nils Karbø is department director for traffic management and emergency preparedness in the Norwegian Road Administration. Most of the accidents also occurred in the first five years of the ten-year period that news has investigated. Out of 101 cars, 69 of them collided in the period 2012–2016. Investigating the accident The National Roads Administration is responsible for the maintenance and possible development of Svinesundsveien. An investigation into Monday’s accident has been launched. Karbø is therefore cautious about making a statement before it is finished. – The accident is being investigated. When we find out what has happened, we can consider measures, he says. On a general basis, he mentions possible measures such as distance measurement, more speed checks and reinforced center markings. – We have to press on It is not good enough for Mayor Holm in Halden. She demands that Svinesundsveien be converted into a four-lane road. – We must push for a new road, and point to the accidents that happened this summer, she says. The accidents are distributed among 81 passenger cars, 8 motorcycles, 5 lorries, 4 vans, 3 buses and 1 unknown. Here is a detailed overview: Two passenger cars collided somewhere on Svinesundsveien at the beginning of 2022, but the exact location is unknown. They are therefore not marked on the map. In 2017, Halden municipality asked for a four-lane road, but was refused by the Norwegian Road Administration. A new inquiry to the county also bore no fruit. In 2018, Halden Arbeiderblad wrote that the Swedish Road Administration believed the road needed better standards. Nevertheless, nothing was done to improve the main road to Halden. But mayor Anne-Kari Holm notices that the accident has affected the driving patterns of Haldense residents this week. – The speed is usually much higher when I drive here. Today it was 20 km/h below what it usually is, she said the day after two people died on the busy road.
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In ten years, 101 cars have collided on national highway 204 Svinesundsveien in Halden – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
