– Meeting a lorry train and reversing all the way down is a nightmare, says Ann Sissel Austgulen. The care worker drives Skifjordvegen in Hyllestad every day, and has experienced several unpleasant situations. The road between Hyllestad and Skifjorden is one of the narrowest in Western Norway. Professional driver Håvard Bjørnestad hopes that the county road will be improved. Photo: Brit Jorunn Svanes / news – It is so narrow here that several elderly people simply do not dare to drive here, says professional driver Håvard Bjørnestad. If you are lucky, you will meet a lorry train near an outcrop. If not, several hundred meters of backing up await. – I have craned up four cars that have low suffocation here, says Bjørnestad. Cars are getting wider In just the last ten years, cars have become eight cm wider. This makes it more difficult to pass cars on narrow roads around the country. The organization NAF has reviewed the road width of all 44,000 kilometers of county roads in Norway. They found that over a quarter of vegans are too narrow compared to the traffic. It will win over 11,000 kilometers. On this stretch of Skifjordvegen in Hyllestad, it is narrow and railings are missing in several places. Both professional drivers and commuters are eager to drive here. The growth along vegan lines is also pointed to as a problem. Photo: Brit Jorunn Svanes / news – That every fourth meter of county road is too narrow is disappointing. Much of this is everyday roads for people in the districts. Many are terrified when they drive or walk on the narrow county roads, says press manager Ingunn Handagard of the Norwegian Automobile Association. Based on figures from the road authorities, NAF estimates that it will cost NOK 30 billion to improve vegan roads that are too narrow today. In Hyllestad, the municipality, commuters and professional drivers are now demanding improvement of Skifjordvegen. A survey carried out by the municipality shows that 40 places need spot improvements. – We are not asking for a yellow stripe, but we are asking for more passing pockets, says mayor Kjell Eide (Ap). – Almost all our county roads are narrow, says Hyllestad mayor Kjell Eide (Ap). Photo: Brit Jorunn Svanes / news Large backlog The backlog of vegans in the country is large and will cost several billions. In Vestland alone, it will cost NOK 14–15 billion to improve county roads. Here measures have been taken and started in places such as Masfjorden, Brekka in Alvær, Årdal and between Bygstad and Dale. – We do more of this now than before, but there is a queue, says county mayor Jon Askeland (Sp). He would like to have more money for county roads. This is what the Norwegian Truck Owners Association also wants. County manager Asgeir Giil says the county roads are the “veins” that enter the country’s main arteries, and are therefore absolutely necessary for society to function in an acceptable way. There is a long queue to catch up on the backlog on county roads in the country. Photo: Ole Kristian Svalheim / news – These vegans have been de-prioritized for many years, with large backlogs as a result. Difficult access is part of this, even more serious is a large accident statistic. For the professional drivers, it is a constant strain, he says and adds: – No other professional group would accept such working conditions. Vegans are our work floor. To map the county roads In the Hurdal platform of the Ap/Sp government there is a point of focus on the county roads. State Secretary Abel Cecilie Knibe Kroglund (Ap) in the Ministry of Transport and Communications points out that the county roads are a county municipality’s responsibility, but that they are aware that several places are of a poor standard. The county roads were last mapped in 2012. – There is therefore a need for an updated knowledge base, and in the current NTP a new condition mapping of the county road network was announced. We have followed this up by asking the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to coordinate a survey together with the county municipalities. In Hyllestad there are many narrow roads, and the mayor wants improvements.
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The cars are getting wider – shouting warnings about the narrow county roads – news Vestland
