Right now, the clean-up after the extreme weather Hans and subsequent torrential rain is in full swing. But when the water recedes and the road network reopens, a major clean-up job remains. Something is terribly wrong in Samferdsels-Norge. In my job as NAF manager, I travel a lot around Norway. This year alone I have driven over 30,000 kilometres, to meetings and assignments in the country, from Oslo to Northern Norway on a motorbike as part of NAF MC’s safety festival, and on holiday and trips. This is what I see: Norwegian roads are raining away. Norwegian roads are crumbling. Norwegian roads meander with the seasons. Norwegian roads are in some places like footpaths. Norwegian roads are collapsing and collapsing. People drive with their hearts in their throats along dangerous everyday roads. In my home district Dividalen in Indre Troms, people buy cars according to tire size, so they don’t fall down all the holes in the dirt road – dirt road in 2023! On the Flybussen down Målselvdalen this summer, I experienced that we were driving at 40 kilometers an hour on a road with an 80 speed limit – the reason was that the bus driver was afraid of destroying both the bus and injuring the passengers. I have grown up with that road, and I note that it has never been worse. These are just a few examples – similar ones can be found all over the country. The decay on the road network is approaching NOK 100 billion. You can feel it on the body. For everyone who travels on Norwegian roads, it’s not just a number, it’s everyday life. Enough! Thirteen bridges fell into the river and the criticism in the Accident Investigation Board’s report is scathing. Thirteen Bru was not an isolated case. Several wooden bridges are still closed. After the landslide that claimed life on the E39, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration receives strong criticism. A mistake has been made. Now it has to be cleaned up. What is the reason we have ended up here? Over time, Norwegians have been more concerned with road maintenance than with new roads, but politicians would rather cut cords than deal with warnings from people, researchers and civil society. Back in 2010, the climate adaptation committee wrote that restoring the dilapidated roads is a prerequisite for climate adaptation. This condition has not been met. From 2013 to 2019, Norway doubled investments in national roads, while maintenance has been at a standstill. The maintenance backlog on the county roads is estimated by the Swedish Road Administration to be between NOK 45 and 75 billion in 2012. People drive with their hearts in their throats along dangerous everyday roads, writes Stig Skjøstad in NAF. Here on a motorcycle in connection with NAF MC’s safety relay. Photo: NAF In 2023, they have estimated it at NOK 86–93 billion. Despite more money in the sector, the situation has worsened. For every kroner spent on road maintenance, four kroner are currently spent on new developments. The National Audit Office concluded in March last year that it is serious that the authorities have not secured a sufficient overview and implemented the necessary measures to secure existing buildings and infrastructure. It cannot be blamed on ignorance. In today’s national transport plan (2022–2033), it is stated that Norway already has major challenges related to floods and landslides, and parts of the road and rail network are not designed to cope with large amounts of water. The politicians have been warned, for a long time. NAF has regularly asked people since 2013 what they want to prioritize in transport. The answer has been stable and clear: road maintenance rather than new roads. Norwegian motorists are tired of the politicians letting the county roads rot. The politicians are touchingly in agreement about maintenance and climate adaptation: Everyone says it is important, but no one has done anything about it. The counties blame the state, while the government points out that it is the counties’ responsibility. Or they push the next national transport plan ahead of them. But this is not binding. No money comes with it, just big words. The result is that decay increases, the roads are washed away and that after the regional reform in 2020 we get less, not more, for our money. This actually no longer works. The county politicians standing for election this year must say honestly what they will do to secure their county roads. And if they don’t have a credible plan for it, we voters need to use our vote. It is also not possible to hide behind a new national transport plan next year, as the government constantly does. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård must clearly show how he wants to get transport in Norway back on track. Both when it comes to grants, and what structural measures he will take to ensure that roads, railways and bridges in Norway are safe and reliable. We have to take care of what we have, we don’t do that now. We need clear answers, and they must come quickly.
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How long will you wait before you clean up, Nygård? – Speech
