From midnight on the night of Thursday, fifteen toll stations were put into operation in Tromsø.
All motorists entering or leaving the city center must now pay tolls.
Fewer cars
According to controller Merethe Drivdal in Think Tromsø, which coordinates the toll project, the figures from various counting points in Tromsø showed a decrease in car traffic during the morning rush hour (from 06:00 to 09:00) of around 11 per cent, with local variations.
According to Drivdal, there should not have been any known deviations or problems so far on the first day of operation.
BOMRING: This picture shows the toll ring on the way over the Tromsø bridge. Photo: Norwegian Road Administration
TV 2 took a drive to the most trafficked places at 07:30 on Thursday. Where many had expected more chaos and traffic than usual, things seemed to go smoothly.
Neither the bus stops nor the city buses seemed to be struggling with capacity, although perhaps this was where the biggest influx was expected.
But possibly the situation will look different as early as next week, when the students at the Arctic University of Norway (UiT) are back from the Christmas break.
“Think Tromsø”
The tolls shall be the citizens’ contribution to urban development, and shall be included in the financing of the city package “Think Tromsø”, which is an urban development project.
The tolls will make up approximately 58 per cent of the city package’s total financial framework of NOK 6.5 billion. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Tromsø Municipality and Troms and Finnmark County Council share the other funding between them.
The project will facilitate walking, cycling and public transport so that Tromsø achieves a target of zero growth in passenger car transport.
This is what Think Tromsø writes on theirs websites.
