Every day, children ready for school walk along the county road in Lødingen in Nordland. There are 14 pedestrian lanes here, but none of them were marked before the start of school. The most important corridor, Håkon Møller, top candidate for the Green Party in Nordland, decided to do something with. On Saturday, he took matters, and the spray can, into his own hands. – It turned out the way it turned out, he says of his artistic abilities. Is prepared to be fined Møller admits that the result may not have been completely optimal. But that wasn’t the intention either. This is a symbolic move to make a point. – It is perhaps one of the most important walkways. But none of them are marked up. It is a bit special, he says. Earlier in August, a troubled grandfather went to the local newspaper Bladet Vesterålen. He thought several of the footpaths along the county road were very dangerous for traffic. The children crossed the road where they remembered that the pedestrian crossing had been. The road users did not necessarily know what it was. The map shows the stretch of road which has 14 poorly marked pedestrian lanes. MDG representative Håkon Møller has painted one of them himself with spray metering. But the county council did not want to do anything about it. – No, it is simply too much required to get pedestrian crossings painted now, said communications manager in Nordland county municipality, Anna Brandal, to the newspaper then. – The footpath we will be on will be painted after the asphalt work is finished, sometime at the end of September, she said. That answer did not work for Møller. COULD BE FINED: Håkon Møller (MDG), top candidate for the county council, is expected to be fined for taking matters into his own hands. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen / news – It is possible to get things done without too many funds, he says to news. And now the school children in Lødingen have marked pedestrian crossings. But perhaps not quite according to the Road Administration’s manuals. – Have you checked the legality of it? – No, I am prepared for it to become a theme. I know of others who have painted cycle lanes and such who have received fines in the mail. I can take that if it becomes relevant. For the initiative, he meets with support from unexpected parties. Frp: – People are shocked Dagfinn Olsen in the Frp is among those who think the county council has neglected its tasks. – Some take it into their own hands. You can’t wait until the county council steps up. It is absolutely incredible. STUNNING: Dagfinn Olsen in the FRP thinks it is startling that the walkways were not painted before the start of school. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news Olsen thinks the county council is not responding well. – That it is a waste to measure the footpath because it will be asphalted in the autumn. It is surprising that it is answered like this. He thinks it should certainly have been planned for the start of school. – There are no signs or anything. It is a route to school for many children. People are shaken. Advises people to take matters into their own hands Head of traffic safety at Trygg Trafikk, Bård Morten Johansen, says that it can be downright dangerous when people paint pedestrian crossings themselves. – A good number of footpaths that most people think are OK have been taken away to increase traffic safety. DISCLAIMER: Bård Morten Johansen in Trygg Trafikk does not know the matter well enough to comment on this pedestrian crossing, but on a general basis would like to warn against doing the same. Photo: Trygg Trafikk – In general, I strongly advise against measuring the footpath yourself, precisely because you must have some knowledge of the basis for the condition, says Johansen and adds: – Whether it is actually to be done, or whether it is to be repaired up, it must be done properly. For example, it is important to have the correct measurement that gives the necessary reflectivity now when it starts to get dark. In the worst case, for example, the home spray can give a false sense of security. The county municipality: – It is clear that it is illegal The county municipality is not jumping to the roof either that Møller from MDG has done their job. Namely, only authorized personnel are allowed to carry out maintenance work on the road. – In order to be able to carry out work on or near a county road, it is a prerequisite that one has an approved work warning course and otherwise has an approved work warning plan in order to be able to carry out work in a traffic-safe manner. That’s what project manager Ivar Magne Heggli wrote on behalf of Nordland County Municipality in an e-mail to news. According to the Road Traffic Act and the road sign regulations, only the road sign authority the Norwegian Road Administration has the authority to make decisions about signs and markings, according to Heggli. – It is therefore made public that it is illegal for a private person to spray measurement on the road. SAME REGULATIONS: The county municipality in Nordland writes in its response to news that the marking of footpaths is covered by the same strict regulations as, for example, speed limit signs. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news – We take it very seriously that a private person in this case has chosen to spray the road surface on his own, writes Heggli. County council: – Will be painted County councilor Monika Sande (SP) says that the reason they have not marked the footpath is that they must assess both the needs and design of the footpath. – It is clear that many of today’s footpaths are not optimal, she says. Sande adds that this week the county municipality has planned a visual inspection of all footpaths in Lødingen together with representatives from the municipality. County councilor Monika Sande (SP) says that as far as she knows, they have not received any inquiries about the speed limit in the town either from the police, the municipality or private individuals. Photo: Nordland county council – Will the county council consider specific measures to increase traffic safety through Lødingen, for example through pedestrian crossing signage or a reduced speed limit? – It is important to remember that pedestrian crossings are not a traffic safety measure, but primarily a measure that makes the road passable for pedestrians. Sande and the County Council will assess whether the 14 footpaths are good enough, and see if it is possible to improve the crossing point. For example with a waiting area. – The footpaths that the county council considers to be within the current regulations will be resurfaced after reasphalting, she says. Møller: – Should have a positive attitude Håkon Møller in MDG says he can understand that the county council refuses to use resources. But he believes it is a sign of poor planning when the footpaths are not ready for the start of school. – We must prioritize traffic safety more economically, he says and adds: – The county municipality should to a greater extent have a positive attitude when municipalities make contact and want to lower speed limits and put in place other measures for traffic safety.
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Taking matters into their own hands when the county council does not mark the school road – news Nordland
