Far out in the sea gap find an Ona. An idyllic, small island community that is in full operation. The island has only 16 permanent residents, but you can still find, among other things, two pottery workshops, a restaurant, a knitting café and a pub. Now the inhabitants fear that everything they have worked for will be lost, and that the island will die. The administration in Møre og Romsdal County Municipality is proposing to close down the ferry. The ferry, which carries both residents and visitors up to five times a day, they want to replace with a shuttle boat that runs three times a week. The ferry “MS Kvaløy” goes to both Ona, Sandøya, Orta and Finnøy. Photo: Hans-Olav Landsverk / news But it is not just Ona that will be affected if the politicians in the county council agree to the proposal. Here you can see the proposals that have been put forward: Proposal from the administration in the county municipality The administration in Møre og Romsdal county municipality proposes three trips a week by shuttle boat to so-called roadless villages, which have 15 or fewer residents. The proposal also states that there should not be a ferry offer, but a shuttle boat offer, where all residents live less than six kilometers from the quay. These places may be lost, and here is the number of departures that are proposed to apply: Lille Kalvøy: One round trip per week Yksnøy: One round trip per week Raudøya: One round trip per week Skår: One round trip per week week Årsundsøya: One round trip per week Store Kalvøy: One round trip three days per week Orta: One round trip three days per week Trandal: One round trip three days per week Ona: One round trip three days per week Haugsholmen: One round trip three days per week Solskjeløya: One round trip five days per week Sandøya: One round trip seven days per week The matter will be considered by the Transport Committee in the county municipality on Wednesday 31 May. The case will then come up in the County Committee on 8 June, before final consideration in the County Council on 19 June. Great frustration and disappointment – I and everyone else here think this is absolutely horrible. It cannot be carried out. That’s what Hilde Sørmoen says, who is a permanent resident of Ona and runs the knitting cafe. She explains that the islanders here are very affected by the proposal that was put forward. Archive image: Hilde Sørmoen on the right is convinced that she will have to close down the knitting cafe if the proposal to cut the ferry goes through. Photo: news – People have told me here that they have lost sleep after they found out about this. Uncertainty is spreading. We are thinking ahead, because if it doesn’t go through this time, maybe they will try again in a few years. It creates great insecurity out here. And if the proposal goes through, she can just shut down her business, she says. – We run a business out here that we can then shelve completely. We will lose all the tourists, and the holidaymakers will disappear, says Sørmoen. Archive image: Sindre Tverfjell, run by Hustadvika Adventures, is particularly aware that the industry on the island community is being sabotaged by the county. Photo: Terje Reite / news Also Sindre Tverfjell, who runs Hustadvika Adventures, believes that he will have to close down both the pub and the cabin rental if the ferry disappears. – It is hair-raising. It is regular forced depopulation. The ghost from the 70s is back again. The proposal alone is a tragedy in itself, says Tverfjell. In the last four years, a great deal of effort has been put into building up and getting started with more offers for both visitors and those who live on the island. Between the pub and the knitting cafe. The island has become a tourist magnet, and Tverfjell says they feel that it is now being sabotaged from the county. Here is the ferry “MS Kvaløy” on its way to Ona. That could be the end of it. Photo: Roar Strøm – The knife in the heart of three islands – I am angry that grown people can come up with something like that, says the ferry’s skipper, Arve Linningvsoll. For about twenty years, he has transported both tourists and residents to the islands of Ona, Sandøya, Finnøya and Orta. Now he is actually retired, but still takes on shifts from time to time. When he is not at work, he stays on Sandøya, which has over 30 permanent residents. Arve Linningsvoll, ferry skipper, fears that the islands will die out if the proposal goes through. Photo: Hans-Olav Landsverk / news – It is not possible to exist here without a ferry. It’s just to forget. There are people who go to work every day, there is industry, people who have invested heavily in tourism – all life here on the island depends on the ferry. It is the heart of all island communities. The ferryman believes there will be a mass exodus if the proposal goes through. – Then they saw the knife in the heart of three islands. He sees it as impossible for the islands to survive without the ferry. Having operated the ferry for many years, he has a good knowledge of how many people use it. – Especially now when it’s spring and summer, we notice a big increase. Also when it’s the weekend and during holidays – then the ferry is full, says Linningsvoll. – A matter of principle The county council director, Toril Hovdenak, says that this matter is a matter of principle, where the purpose of the proposal is to establish a standard that ensures an equal offer to similar villages or island communities in the county. – Because we see that it is arbitrary what is on offer at different locations, says Hovdenak. – Is this possible to implement? Do people live there? – Yes, people live there. They will not be without an offer. What we are now proposing is in line with what our neighboring counties have to offer. This is in line with the standard others have established. – We spend NOK 200 million more a year than the state gives us in money for ferry operation, says Toril Hovdenak, county council director in Møre og Romsdal. Photo: Remi Sagen / news She explains that each individual section will be assessed separately, with consequences and calculation of the economy. – We do not take a position on the connection between Ona and the surrounding islands explicitly now, but now the question is whether we should define such a type of norm or standard, and what it should possibly look like. – Not on the agenda Leader of the transport committee, Kristin Sørheim (Sp), says this is a matter they have ordered themselves. She thinks it is good that the county council, like other coastal counties, has a principle on how to facilitate public transport services. – But when it concerns the proposal put forward by the county director, we are not in favor of it. It is out of the question for the Center Party and the Labor Party. Kristin Sørheim (Sp), leader of the transport committee in Møre og Romsdal, says they do not agree to the proposal. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news They therefore do not wish to cut or cancel the offer for Ona, Sandøya and Orta, according to Sørheim. – But I guess we are in favor of a principle on what should be the minimum offer for a number of such small communities. The matter will be dealt with in the Transport Committee in the county council on Wednesday 31 May. The case will then come up in the County Committee on 8 June, before final consideration in the County Council on 19 June.
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Propose to remove the ferry that goes to the islands of Ona, Sandøya, Orta – residents despair – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
