The iridescent lake with the precipitous mountains and the Kjenndalsbreen is one of the most central tourist attractions in Western Norway. But the county road in Lodalen in Nordfjord is so dangerous that it threatens the health and safety of bus drivers, says chief safety officer Pål Stange of the bus company Tide. Thus, he uses the Working Environment Act to put a stop to the company’s drivers being able to drive into the valley, despite the road authorities keeping the road open. It was the newspaper Fjordingen that reported the case first. – I hope this will also be a time divider when it applies to other roads. In parts of the tourism industry there have been cowboy tendencies in the past, but we cannot continue like this, says Stange. Traffic chaos on narrow tourist roads has become a regular occurrence in summer Norway. BOM FAST: This tourist bus had trouble in Lodalen this summer. Photo: Anne Sølvi Sande Refuses to drive until the road is improved Stange says he supports the management in Tide in the case, and that he has also notified other bus companies. Tide is among the big ones in driving tourist buses in Western Norway, they also organize subcontractors in the industry. – The road into Lodalen is one of the worst I have seen. My mandate is the safety of the drivers, says Stange. In some places, small rocks are all that separates the tourist buses from the deep Lovatnet. – Some of the stones are barely 20 centimeters high, says Stange. The edge of the road here is indefensible, says the conservation officer in Tide. Photo: Thomas Thaule / Fjordingen Arbeidstilsynet: – Very unusual It is section 6-3 of the Working Environment Act that Stange has adopted. A safety representative can stop work if there is an immediate danger to the employee’s life and health. As long as the management at Tide supports the safety representative in the case, the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority will not make another decision. If the parties had not agreed, the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority could have made a final decision. – As far as I know, we have not had similar cases. Basically, road standards are not considered part of the drivers’ working environment according to the Working Environment Act, says section leader in the Norwegian Labor Inspectorate Kjersti Marie Gjerd. But the transport companies must ensure that the employees are not exposed to “unfortunate psychological and physical stress, and that safety is taken care of.” – So indirectly, the employer has a duty to take care of road standards, says Gjerd. I understand the situation – but keep the road open The county road to Lodalen is owned by Vestland county council. Section leader Gunhild Vangsnes says they understand Tide’s assessment. – There are major challenges with the traffic, there are lots of tourists and the road is very narrow and winding. But why then do they keep the road open for large vehicles? – It has not been relevant to close, but it is perhaps something we should have looked at. Anyway, in the autumn we started work on creating meeting places. What about the area that lacks railings? – These are the kinds of things we would like feedback on. Then it will be clear whether we can also include that in next year’s budget, says Vangsnes. Has dramatic consequences Inst in Lodalen is the tourist cafe Kjenndalstova. Bus guests from far and near are a decisive factor for owner Ingvill Tronrud. – Other companies are considering following Tide, another large company has already done so. This is very dramatic. Without bus groups, there is not much reason to operate here, says owner Tronrud. Ingvill Tronrud and Jan Ove Hogrenning run Kjenndalstova inst in Lodalen in Stryn municipality. Photo: Thomas Thaule / Fjordingen Tronrud disagrees with the safety officer stopping driving. She thinks it will also be a question of what other roads bus companies will refuse to drive on, even if they are open to free traffic. – There hasn’t been an accident in the 16 years we’ve been operating here, I can only think of three times that buses have been stuck, and there hasn’t been a danger to life or health either. But Pål Stange warns that this is just the start of a clean-up. – We will also survey other stretches. It is a long canvas to bleach. In many cases, the road authorities are asleep during the hour. What is legal is one thing, what is justifiable is something else. Workers must have working conditions as they are entitled to. The main security office in Tide, Pål Stange, hopes to find a solution where the buses drive a little way into the valley, then the tourists can be transported by tourist boat further inland. Photo: Press photo Tide
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The head of public safety prohibits tourist buses from driving on county roads – news Vestland
