– Last winter was good for those who like snow, asserts Oslo municipality’s plowing manager Joakim Hjertum. But adds: – This poses some challenges for a city that does not necessarily have room for all the snow that is coming. Right now, summer is back for a while. But the first snowfall of the year need not be more than a month away. BRØYTESJEF: Joakim Hjertum is section manager in Oslo municipality with responsibility for road and winter maintenance. He believes that the municipality is better prepared before the coming winter. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / news For poor plowing and spreading Now the Urban Environment Agency’s review of last season’s winter operation is ready. It happens the week before Oslo City Council holds a hearing on the bus chaos brought about by snow, ice and cold. In the investigation report after the bus chaos, poor plowing and littering were singled out as one of three main reasons. It was submitted in June. – Perhaps the biggest challenge is to get rid of the snow quickly enough and in a way that makes it the least possible obstacle when it is removed, says Joakim Hjertum. – Snow that remains creates accessibility challenges for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and for winter operations in the event of further snowfall, he says. Toughest for buses, trams and pedestrians According to the report, winter was the toughest for public transport and pedestrians. Challenges for the garbage trucks and the home service are also pointed out. The budget gap of NOK 214 million is under control, says plow manager Joakim Hjertum. This has happened partly because the agency spent less money on other things last year, partly because of extra money in the revised Oslo budget in June and partly by taking away the municipality’s plowing fund. – So it is covered without it being at the expense of our summer operation, he says. 24,350 complaints But the money is only part of the problem. The head of section in the Urban Environment Agency points to two things in particular that cause headaches. One is a lack of landfill capacity. The second is the lack of opportunities to plow the snow out to the side in an increasingly dense city. We will return to that. First, some facts from last winter’s review: The City Environment Agency received 24,350 complaints from Oslo’s residents. The winter operation cost NOK 402 million in the period from October to May. The budget was 188 million. Between 1.1 and 1.4 million cubic meters of snow was milled out or driven away. This corresponds to eight to ten times Oslo Plaza. 365,000 m³ of this was taken to the snow barge Terje. 85 percent of the snow had to be temporarily stored in 14 places before it was taken on to the snow barge. This means an estimated 300,000 – 400,000 kilometers of extra driving by truck. Moves the snow twice – We move the snow twice. But if we had not used intermediate storage, the removal of snow would have taken much longer. And the traffic challenges would be even greater, says Joakim Hjertum. He says that the agency is working actively to improve landfill capacity at the end. They are in the process of upgrading the landfill on Åsland, but it will not be ready until the winter of 2025/26. The Norwegian Environment Agency also hopes to be able to further utilize the capacity of the snow barge. It is docked at Grønlikaia in Oslo Harbour. The snow is melted and cleaned before it is released into the sea. TERJE: The snow barge at Grønlikaia is the only final disposal site for snow that is transported away from Oslo streets. Photo: NCC – Will get snow in the garden And even though there are fewer and fewer places to plow snow out to the side, the City Environment Agency wants to do more of just that. – We need to get a better overview of where it is actually possible to remove snow. – Unfortunately, it is the case that many people will get snow in the garden, and that snow contains a lot of strange things, gravel and ice. But snowing in gardens and on side areas is probably something that will be used just as much, if not more in the future, says Hjertum. TOUGH FOR PEDESTRIANS: The accident and emergency department in Oslo reported many fall accidents and broken bones last winter. Photo: Rune Lind / news Routes and Tramway He says that the most important thing ahead of the coming winter is to have good contingency plans and clear priorities of which streets and roads are to be cleared first. In this connection, the Urban Environment Agency will have even closer cooperation with Ruter and Sporveien to identify problem streets and bus stops. But no matter how well prepared the municipality is, there will be trouble if the winter is as harsh as the last. ON THE GLATTISEN: Next week there is a hearing in the city council’s transport and environment committee about what went wrong with the buses last winter. Photo: Nadir Mohammad Alam / news Climate Change This is also recognized by Environment and Transport Council Marit Kristine Vea (V). She has submitted the report to the city council and comments on the review as follows: – Oslo is a winter city. It will be very resource-intensive to build up a contingency plan that clears away and removes all snow soon after heavy snowfalls. – At the same time, we must be aware that climate change will bring challenging weather conditions, and will also put winter operations and accessibility in the capital to the test in the future, says Vea. PLOWING BOARD: Marit Kristine Vea (V) had to constantly explain about bus trouble and plowing problems last winter. She is prepared for it to happen again. Photo: Bård Nafstad Published 06.09.2024, at 06.27 Updated 06.09.2024, at 13.54
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The plowing budget in Oslo municipality burst with NOK 214 million – Greater Oslo
