Before the road section Rådal-Svegatjørn opens in 2022, around 1,200 cross the municipal border between Bjørnafjorden and Bergen by bus, measured on an average weekday. After 14 months with the motorway, the number has risen to around 2,000 daily passengers on each road. This is shown by figures from Skyss. 1,600 of these take a bus on the new Europavegen. At the same time, car traffic has increased by around 7 per cent. More than 16,000 cars drive between the municipalities every day. This is what the statistics from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration suggest. – A bit surprising At the Institute of Transport Economics, head of research Askill Harkjerr Halse has not heard that a new motorway has created such a big upswing for public transport. – It is a little surprising. It is usually car traffic that wins the most on such roads. The 600 bus on the way to Osøyro from Bergen, a journey that now takes much less time. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news Halse believes that the development in car traffic is as expected, with a slight increase. He believes there are several possible explanations for why bus traffic has increased so much. – In general, the quality of the offer is the most important factor in getting people to choose the bus. So the decisive factor is how one experiences the bus journey. It means more than the price of driving a car. The researcher is unsure whether the public transport increase can continue if passengers do not experience an improvement in the bus offer. Askill Harkjerr Halse, head of research for socio-economic analyzes at TØI. Photo: Private Dissatisfaction with the bus Life Grethe Holstad is one of those who have switched to buses after the new road arrived. Like most people news has spoken to, she says that price is the deciding factor for the election. – It becomes far too expensive with tolls and parking. It goes without saying! Most people who take the Os bus this afternoon at Bergen Bus Station are dissatisfied with the public transport service. – We have several departures now. But the express buses are far away. Therefore, the bus takes about the same amount of time as before. Holstad before support from community Vilde Vintertun. They say that there is often standing room only. – The bus is almost always packed. Many have to stand. It’s a bit tiring. The bus on its way to Osøyro from Rådal in Bergen. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news Fears the bus will lose weight over time The municipalities around Bergen have committed to reducing car traffic towards the regional capital. This also applies to Bjørnafjorden. Many fear public transport has reached its peak. – Although the bus journey is more pleasant than before, car traffic has gained many advantages that buses do not have. That’s what Nils-Anders Nøttseter from Bjørnafjorden MDG says. He thinks it simply takes too long with the buses. – The buses go at 80, the cars can drive 100 kilometers an hour. The express buses are gone, and now there are “milk routes” with far too many stops. We fear we won’t get more people to choose the bus when you save a lot of time choosing the car. Traffic researcher Halse at TØI points out that as long as car traffic increases, the politicians will not reach their targets no matter how many people take the bus. Asking for more departures Bjørnafjorden mayor Terje Søviknes (Frp) is mostly excited about the new road. – We now see that there is a high level of immigration and great interest from business players. The new E39 is extremely important for the municipality. Søviknes fought for Rådal-Svegatjørn for a long time. But he had not expected that the public transport service would see such a big upswing. The mayor believes it is possible to raise the bus share even more. – I think it is very positive that many people take the bus. We must make arrangements for more departures and more parking spaces for commuters. Søviknes, who is also a county politician, believes that the county must now adjust the offer according to the increased demand for buses. Terje Søviknes is positively surprised that so many people take the bus. Photo: Silje Rognsvåg / news
ttn-69
The new E39 motorway between Bergen and Bjørnafjorden gave a traffic boom for the bus – news Vestland
