Oslo to ban cars from city centre

The Norwegian capital is aiming to remove cars from its centre within the next five years – the first permanent ban on vehicles in a European capital.

To replace them, 60km of bicycle lanes will be built by 2019, and investment in public transport will receive a "massive boost".

Subsidies for electric vehicles will also be increased, although electric cars will also be banned from the streets.

Lan Marie Nguyen Berg, lead negotiator for the Green party, is quoted by Reuters as saying: "We want to have a car-free centre. We want to make it better for pedestrians and cyclists. It will be better for shops and everyone."

The plan is reportedly endorsed by all three of the parties that make up Oslo’s city council: the Green party, the Labour party, and the Socialist Left.

There is no final information on how the scheme will be implemented, but it is understood that buses and trams will continue to serve the city centre.

Norway plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2020 compared with 1990 levels.

Some other cities have introduced partial restriction on car use. A ban in an area of central Rome has been good for businesses, with revenues going up as much as 30%.

Image: Oslo (Julo/Wikimedia Commons)