Oslo: The Journey to Car-free

Ever since the big announcement carried worldwide in 2015 that Oslo, Norway's new progressive city government planned to make the downtown car-free by 2019, I immediately put it on my list of places I wanted to go and see what's up. And that only got more intriguing a year later when following that fanfare, there wasn't a ton of news or documentation updating us on Oslo's progress towards its amazing goal. So in fall 2016 I went- not knowing if I'd find if progress was slow or fast, and how much I could show visually.
First off, it is a lovely, clean city. It already features some nice blocks of car-free or car-light pedestrian zones which are heavily populated even late at night. And I knew it was a good sign when I stepped off the bus from the airport a block later and I stumbled upon construction of a new rail line.
Oslo is certainly on its way, and even skeptics seem to know going at least as car-free as possible is inevitable. Besides it being a great environmental goal for the city and to manage growth, Oslo is one of - if not the fastest - growing city in all of Europe. However, the biggest factor is that the air quality in Oslo and many places in Norway is deteriorating. Due to inversion in winter it can be dangerous to the public and keeps vulnerable children and seniors restricted indoors.
Oslo is aiming to reach its goal on many fronts. The city has been aggressively removing car parking and by the end of 2017, they expect to no longer have any on-street parking in the city's core. All new developments are required to be built car-free. Ruter, the transportation authority for Oslo, is planning on absorbing all new city population growth in addition to the task of converting current drivers to ride buses, trains and trams. Car share systems are beginning to dominate as more families want to live near the city without a personal vehicle. Oh, and there's this nifty plan to help people pay for electric-assist cargo bikes!
The city's bike share Oslo Bysykkel has recently been completely overhauled in favor of better stronger, lighter system with more stations and better interactivity system. You can actually unlock your bike by smart phone as you approach the station, just take it and go. I've never seen anything like it! Of the 26 bike share systems I've ridden, I'd say it is in my top three favs.
Bike lanes are also being built or upgraded throughout Oslo. Here you will not find ample Copenhagen-style protected bike facilities, but thanks to the on-going car parking removal it creates the opportunity for many wide, red-painted curbside lanes. Despite lack of true separation they feel rather safe and unlike a similar style that might be tried in the U.S., you will not find cars parking in the lanes. Over four days I probably could count on one hand the number of cars I saw sitting in the lanes.
Momentum is certainly on the city's side and an already great city will one day be fantastic for walking, biking and transit. Will they go completely car-free? Will they do it by 2019? We will find out in a few years. So sit back and listen to a diverse group of voices I got to interview, including Oslo's charming Mayor Marianne Borgen talk about the philosophy of why all this is being done and the implications for a better Oslo in years to come. Enjoy this movie. It is one of my favorite and an important one for the future of the planet.

[@Aragorn.Strider]

Oslo is finally going to look more Dutch. The city seems to improve fast. Well done!

[@jordonward9246]

Good for you, everything about cars is so expensive and dominates everything....this is the future

[@tom0900060]

Cuz women like men with cars not taking public transport together

[@bmw803]

@@tom0900060 That's from our point of view. Europeans think differently.

[@widialkmaarzaanstreek7291]

Muachhhh 😘👍❤️

[@grassytramtracks]

@@tom0900060 coz that's what we should have dictating city design

[@ericpmoss]

Here in the US, the city councils are controlled by real estate developers and people who made money from car dealerships. It takes a lot of public pressure to get anything done for bicycles, and it almost always ends up being "here's a stripe on the road, don't bother the drivers." If we want change here, we pretty much have to vote out half of every city council and replace them with visionaries, and then have protests whenever the developers run negative articles in the media. It's really messed up.

[@BEEBEE159]

In the US, we are ruled by corporations. Whatever corporations want, that's what we get. I have to admit, though, that I like being one of the few who rides a bike. I can haul ass, as fast as I want, and I don't have to share the road with anyone. It's like I'm the only cyclist in my whole county. When I look at this video, it sucks how much bicycle traffic there is. I would hate that. I like cycling in the US better, but mind you, I'm not in a huge metropolitan city. FYI, I'm in Florida.

[@BEEBEE159]

@Thiago Gusmão No, I don't wear a helmet...

[@djpiecia]

use estate developer against car delaerships => remove oboligatory free parking spots .

[@gregnixon1296]

Eric Moss - You are spot on. Real estate developers control planning and zoning via under the table influence on county commission board members. Never vote for incumbents.

[@raaaaaaaaaam496]

No it wasn’t the “corporations aaah evil corporations”. It was concerned citizens that implemented all of the restrictive zoning, building codes,etc. that allowed and incentivized car use. That wasn’t cause of the evil corporations it’s a clear example of government overstep.

[@queertales]

I live in Oslo and use bicycles as my main mode of transport. A lot has changed here in the last five years or so. Before Oslo used to be scary to cycle in, so only the most die hard cyclists would do it, but with the improved infrastructure, we're seeing more and more people on bikes. Sales of electric bikes and cargo bikes has exploded has exploded over the same period, and people are using them instead of their car to get around, take kids to kindergarten and do their shopping. The city center is still not entirely car free, but they're still working on it. We still have a long way to go to catch up with Amsterdam or Copenhagen. That said, there is an election coming up in a few months, so if the sitting city council loses the election, this whole positive change my grind to a halt. Especially if the new No to Toll Roads party gets some power, as funds from the toll roads in Oslo are used to improve public transport and pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

[@finite2336]

Is there smaller bikes for kids in the bike sharing system? I would love to explore Oslo with my family on the bikes

[@queertales]

@@finite2336 It's just one size bikes. The seat can be adjusted quite a bit, but I'm not sure if it's enough. I have three bikes of my own, so don't use the city bikes myself. :)

[@queertales]

@Thiago Gusmão I just use panniers to buy groceries, but that's for a family of two. A lot of families are getting electric cargo bikes, most of which can carry around 100kg of stuff, which would work fine for all your grocery shopping. As for hospital visits, an ambulance or taxi works fine, depending on the severity of your condition. It's not like you're going to ride your car or bike to the hospital with s broken leg.

[@finite2336]

@@queertales she is 9 yo so the seat won't work but maybe there would be rental shops. thank you!

[@finite2336]

@@samalizadev thank you so much! you are all too kind for sharing and helping!

[@JamesCub88]

9:56 when it rains: Los Angeles- can't drive anywhere London- streets flooded Oslo- hold my beer, while I clean the bike seat and ride off :)

[@rab6121]

There`s a swedish study that says cars make all the citizens pay 0.80€ per kilometer in costs, while bicycles gives the citizens 0.80€ since they pollute less, they get more exercise so they go less to hospital with health issuses etc... And it`s a big plus they take up less space, you get more fresh air and it`s really fun to drive.

[@larsosejohansen]

Its now 2019, an update video would be great! Because the storytelling and visuals is just so great!

[@OriginalPuro]

Very little has happened, cars still drive almost wherever they want in Oslo and the infrastructure is dangerous, no protected cycle lanes and so on.

[@hds66nl29]

@@OriginalPuro To bad it didn't realy work. Here in the Netherlands most city centres are car free or have limited access for cars. Shops have to be able to get their stock, that is possible with movable barriers that are opened at designated hours (also makes it accessible for emergency vehicles). The area around the main (car free) street is open for cars for people who live there. The roads are desighned that you can't use them for short-cuts and are narrow, no parking space (if you live there you can buy a permit). Basically you really don't want to go there by car unless you have a very good reason. Not perfect but a very acceptable compromise.

[@phil_the_explorer3068]

How's the situation now in 2022?

[@aventura1266]

@@phil_the_explorer3068 See my comment in response to queertales at the top.

[@dutchman7623]

What I am missing is an overview of the city plan, what solutions they offer to people who travel by car to the city. In the city where I live there are big cheap parking lots at the edge with free bus travel to the center and back for all passengers in the car. Close to the center there are expensive parking garages for short parking, and passengers can walk into the center. The center is car free, and delivery takes place early in the morning, before shoppers take over the streets. Also the market is set up early in the morning and at shop closing time the vans can enter to clear the market square. In a circle around the center, cars can only park if the owner lives in that area, and has a permit. They can buy tickets for visitors that are valid for a few hours, they write the start time on them themselves so can use them when needed.

[@PP719Strada]

citys are so much more livable without cars.

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

my city would be unlivable without a car. its massive, I work 50 miles from where I live, family and friends are spread out over the whole valley and it gets well into the 100's during summer. its easy to make something like that work in a small city where everything is close together, completely absurd to even try t in almost any Canadian or American city.

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

that is because traffic is insane horrible in LA. it takes an hour to go a few miles there so yeah guess riding a bus wouldn't make much difference. here we have freeways that actually flow and you can get 60 ,miles in a hour more or less. fuck riding a bus I like my freedom@Marcus Aurelius

[@ddrhazy]

@@AsTheWheelsTurn "we have freeways that actually flow" It's not that you have better freeways, it's that you don't live in a truly dense city. If you don't live in Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto, then you won't have the same traffic as LA. Your car is not freedom, you are just behooved to get it because everyone else has one. You have to live farther from your job and friends because everything was built horizontally and not vertically in whatever non metropolitan town you live in Canada.

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

Ddr Hazy I don’t own a vehicle because everyone else has one it is just a reality that it is nessisary here and it does represent freedom Incan gonwhere I want when I want I can drive to go camping drive to do whatever at any time . Maybe you are too broke to own a car but doesn’t mean you need to shit in people who do. Ps LA freeways sure as hell don’t flow they are always backed up , a freeway here moves along at 75 to 85 mph unless it’s rush hour traffic . People here like To have e houses with large property’s and. It be stacked on top of each other paying huge rent to live like a sardine . I work 50 miles away because that is where the most construction is going on I can’t work any closer because there isn’t enough work in my area . Just face the reality that some cities will never eliminate cArs and public transportation will never be usable in a truly large city that covers thousands of square miles

[@AsTheWheelsTurn]

Ddr Hazy how are you going to tow your boat to the lake on the weekend without a vehicle how are you going to go on a road trip how would you visit friends in another city how would you go camping? These are all things I do all the time don’t fucking tell me that I only drive a car because other people do and I’m so small minded that I’m just following what others do automobiles are the most awesome thing for individual freedom that has ever existed

[@wimahlers]

I lived in Oslo for 2.5 years and for 0.5 years in Bergen from 1996 to 1999. Being Dutch I had taken 3 bicycles to Norway. Loved Oslo, great stable weather, nice nature. Loved Bergen too. Again, great nature, cosy city. I did some nice biking in and around both of these towns, actually quite a lot of biking. Seeing this movie I would love to visit Oslo again (and Bergen too).

[@danopticon]

Ahmed Ali - Trust me, “Mike S.” does not speak for all Americans, or even for many of them. THANK you for having civilly pointed out to him the extreme error of his strange tape-thumbtack-and-chewing-gum ball of recycled prejudice, anecdote, and urban legend … most people would not have the patience to have calmly countered his unverifiable claims. It’s sad that we’ve reached a period of time when trolls find a benign channel dedicated to car-free urban solutions and use it instead to try and propagate their vile, racist, ethnophobic, xenophobic propaganda. Thank you again Ahmed!! 🙂

[@danopticon]

“Anecdotal evidence,” Mike, if you are unfamiliar with the phrase, is unverifiable word-of-mouth information collected informally outside the scope of a controlled empirical study; it can be interesting sometimes to throw one or two bits of anecdotal evidence into the appendix of a large-scale study, for instance, if it perhaps provided the basis for the study or was contradicted by the study. It cannot, however, on its own lead to the formation of a theory. For example, something that a president known for lying made up on the spot, or misinterpreted, or misread, or something that a far-right party claimed in order to curry votes, would be uncorroborated anecdotal evidence. Comparing crime statistics internationally is problematic on a few fronts: different nations define crimes differently; the methodology each national survey uses in collecting information on crimes varies enormously; the effectiveness of policing and the willingness of crime victims to come forward varies wildly from country to country; the willingness of police to keep accurate records similarly varies wildly. So, using data from national surveys for international comparison has entirely failed, because the differences in criminal statutes, differences in policing methods, and methodological differences are too big for proper comparison. Take data from a country where citizens feel able to report crimes effectively, and that defines rape as any non-consensual sexual contact, and that reports any criminal complaint of rape as an instance whether or not a conviction is obtained. Compare that to data from a country where citizens have no faith in their police and tend not to report crimes, or where police discourage or hide the reporting of crime, and where rape is stiffly defined to only include acts of violence occurring outside of marriage, and where an act of rape is only recorded after a criminal conviction is obtained. The results won’t tell you whether rape occurred more frequently in one country or the other, only how well the reporting and recording works and how broadly or narrowly the crime is defined. If a woman from country A complains to the police that her husband had sex with her while she was asleep every night last month, that may be recorded as zero rapes. If a woman from country B complains to the police that her husband had sex with her while she was asleep every night last month, if the husband is convicted that may be recorded as 1 rape. If a woman from country C complains to the police that her husband had sex with her while she was asleep last month, before there is even a trial that may be recorded as 31 rapes. Aside from one far-right Swedish party, the Swedish authorities have pointed out that claims made by right-wing USA politicians that Sweden is some sort of rape capital are absurd. The only reliable ongoing indicator of comparative international crime statistics, the ICVM, has not released data yet beyond 2010, but you can see for yourself here the six sets of data that have been released along with a narrative analysis of the results: www.researchgate.net/publication/270722592_The_International_Crime_Victims_Surveys_A_retrospective As you can see, through 2010 Sweden has remained one of the safest places to live, and unless the next ICVM has some startling result (which by all accounts outside of the USA’s right wing sphere seems unlikely), I’m inclined to believe the Swedish authorities on this.

[@mikes3827]

@Bartô N Get a grip, slappy. Radical Islamists accounted for over 84,000 deaths IN 2017 ALONE, worldwide, according to the Institute for Global Change. So-called "right wing nuts" accounted for under 100 deaths in the US over the past decade. Stop your foolishness, and open your eyes.

[@raybon7939]

im 49 and detest cars. they are the reason im still working. since 1990 i have spent half my salary keeping a car on the road/ without a doubt i would Had been retired by 2010. ...they have cost me so much money that it is beyond staggering... ..till i stopped driving in 2018. all i can say, is i support all your efforts to get cars off the road and out of our financial ...lives.

[@grapsorz]

half your salary to keep the car on the on the road?? then you had the wrong car.

[@grassytramtracks]

@@grapsorz well, even the cheapest car to run, is more expensive than the most expensive bike to run

[@grapsorz]

@@grassytramtracks LOL a bicycle can only transport you a short distance in a considerable amount of time and at a grate effort. AND you have extreme low carry capacity AND as Norway goes up and down that is not a real option for me. in a city they can work. stil with the same problems tho. it's just that the distances needed is less. a motorbike often use more fuel then a smal car. they made for power and not efficiency. a 300-500cc might be a low cost option. not a lot of them around here. the ones i have seen is 600cc with 100hp and up. moste is 750 and 1100/1200cc they have duble the power of my car. smal car.. and that do 55mpg. the smal van i have here do about 50 mpg US if you drive hard and if you drive real economical you can get close to 60

[@joejoematic8206]

We destroyed our cities in the 60s and 70s with all those big streets. Now we regonize how stupid we have been to give our space to cars. They kill, they pollute, they need space and they are loud.

[@christofferraby4712]

@@mapgar1479 if you build a place from the start to be car free then you can benefit greatly economically by gearing your town s/cities for tourism and a better quality of life (better air quality and safer for people). If your city was mostly designed for the motor vehicle, meaning large distances between basic amenities, then you will have damage to your economy by trying to go 'car free'. If you look at some cities that are well planned and geared for functional public transport then you will prosper economically. Cases in point are Singapore, Zurich(Switzerland), and Zermatt(Switzerland) that does well economically through tourism without the need to use cars.

[@xmateinc]

@@mapgar1479 I moved across the USA on my bike. I've been a bike commuter most of my life. I would argue that bike commuting is only for short distances, and now that e bikes are coming on the scene strong i would say that bike commuting is becoming very easy to do.

[@andrewskigordon4941]

@@mapgar1479 it's inferior until you get into a traffic jam and a cyclist is rolling past you like nothing, and a padestrain is walking down the sidewalk not being in a cage, how is it inferior to use human nature over a man made machine

[@andrewskigordon4941]

@@mapgar1479 I skate my way all over the city where I live, I'm outside, I'm in control of where I want to go, I can walk my board into a store or anywhere I go, with a car you need to park it, check it all the time, fill it up on gas, and let's not forget what impact it has on your mental and physical health

[@riddele9904]

Ch3k420 But I don’t think that most people want to commute 20 miles on a bike to work, even in European City’s

[@Fabio-tk7nt]

I love Norway! Thanks for existing and doing things so forward. I hate cars, corporations and their entice for mindless/reckless customers... we don't need cars. We need 'mobility'!

[@U.S.SlaveOfficial]

they'll regret it

[@MIZORAM_mafaka_hnamte]

Fabio ....Exactly

[@Fabio-tk7nt]

I very much doubt it. Comfort is (like) a drug, it first makes you high, and if you don't think critically and strong enough you get stuck to its addiction, but when you manage staying away from it you'll see the benefits: cars give you individualistic benefit/s benefit/s vs mobility, which is collective benefit; a systematic approach is always better in problem-solving: you solve the problem of mobility and you solve comfort- and laziness-related health issues, such as obesity, heart diseases, cholesterol, cancer and organs failure from car exhaustion emissions. You may have bought the green-wash-solution of the green car, which is not helping "space" sustainability (Munster/German study on space occupation of 200 pedestrians, 200 bicycles, 200 busses, and 200 cars!), materials pro-capita sustainability, the health issues mentioned above and many more... and the car-related death rate and traffic which gets service vehicles and public transport stuck! Promoting the existence of private cars is just wasteful & stupid... and it gives even more power to those filthy overly powerful corporations behind the car and oil industry... for waste of resources (including working hands) which could be employed in occupation which supports the systematic approach rather than the backward trend! Knowing that something we do is wrong is good, but doing something about it against personal corrupt defensiveness is heroic! So I wouldn't defend that drug I mentioned above, but rather would admit my weakness and work on it. That would be awesome.

[@samijosephyahya3388]

Fabio your stupid for trying to compare a car to drugs

[@JJFlores197]

So if you were in my shoes, what would you do? I go to a school which is about 40 miles away (~64 km) from home. That is an 80 mile trip (~128 km) daily 4 times a week. There is no bus service that goes to that city and biking is definitely not an option since it is mostly high-way driving (unless you can bike at 104 km/h+ constantly) We don't have passenger trains, only freight trains. And walking is definitely out of the equation.

[@ghulam605]

thats great concept to walk on foot, car free.... awesome initiative... love and best wishes from Pakistan

[@abebonilla3175]

In the end, all the improvement comes from an efficient government capable of taking wise and strong decisions, we got a long way to go in Latin America.

[@turritopsisrockola]

Abe Bonilla the problems with most Latin American cities to head this way are: -Safety issues -Harsh weather -Hilly terrain -Poor infrastructure -People's cultural settings

[@pepito_white]

It will never work, people are more stupid and lazy here.

[@EuropeNordeste]

I have hope for Latin America! Greetings to you all kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoa6oJRoir6JrJo

[@ThE-rt6dm]

That is a big problem in Hamburg too. Our Government don't make strong decisions.

[@daniluchison]

Government is the END RESULT of voters. There is no CIVITAS CONSCIOUSNESS in Latin America. For every rule there is an exemption: Bogotá’s bici-sendas. Only city in LA taking bicycles as an important means of transportation.

[@bkrider19]

What's most exciting is that they are implementing the policy, not just talking or planning. Time for the rest of us to catch up with Norway.

[@bmw803]

In America the politicization of everything is a big business.

[@siriosstar4789]

Bravo!! Go Oslo ! 🚴‍♂️

[@billdavis6978]

My “friends” and strangers laugh at me in the US for living without a car. I don’t care, because I’m so much less stressed and I’m saving money. I’m getting in incredible shape. It all started a few years back when my job required me to own a big gas guzzling truck. I would get paid for gas, but was getting nickel and dimed for maintenance and upkeep given how much driving I was doing. I quit that job and found employment within walking distance. I am a carpenter and carry my power and hand tools in a backpack. Anyways, don’t be afraid to ditch your car if you’re able.

[@JamesTsividis]

Thanks for showing us different places and being an inspiration.

[@richardlord2134]

Another superb engaging and uplifting film from Streetfilms. Makes me wish to visit Oslo too. Thank you.

[@kalkalasch]

incredible, this is like watching science fiction, except not fiction

[@simonkraemer3725]

Well that's a pretty brave step, also considering that walking and biking during the winter time is way more unpleasant (it's still doable but your winter isn't comparable to many on the rest of the world). I hope you get there soon, and I hope that in my homecountry Germany they will also push for more space for walking and cycling and a more reliable public transport system.

[@grassytramtracks]

The Finns cycle in very cold winters and the weather has very little effect on how many people cycle, because you can just put on a jacket if it's cold or raining (I love when people say you can't have cycle infrastructure because people won't cycle in the rain, I sometimes hear this in the UK, completely ignoring the fact that it also always rains in the Netherlands)

[@Tracks777]

Keep it up! Please keep going, one day you make it big

[@christinedumonceau5057]

Oh my god it's amazing what can be done and accomplished with honest politicians who have their head well screwed on. It's clean too.

[@shobaatannur1249]

Oh my God... I wish our government in Indonesia will take a look into what the Norwegian do for their environment.

[@denwilden2748]

Shoba Atannur Agree, I am cyclist and three is no space in Indonesia for cyclist

[@shobaatannur1249]

@@denwilden2748 iya, Mas.

[@gboyspeed]

Bike share sudah mulai ada, di bandung dan Jakarta, tinggal persempit jalur mobil , buat jalur sepeda saya optimis

[@shobaatannur1249]

@@gboyspeed iya. Indonesia baru berada di era keterbukaan, keinginan publik semakin mudah disuarakan. Saya juga optimis.

[@aeiouaeiou100]

They should look at amsterdam. It's better to slightly raise the bike lanes at the side of the road or put them on the other side of parked cars

[@grapsorz]

here they have just removed all the parking. destroying the city for car use and handicapped ppl etc. no one can park and shop so now we go to other shops.

[@MissMoontree]

@GrabSors, but you have bikes for handicapped people too. And bike parking means more people can park to the store. You can keep a couple of disabled parking spaces with underground parking lots.

[@grapsorz]

now the handicapped parking spot's is used and often they r to far from the shops and services they need to go to. i se handicapped ppl now have big problems in oslo. and there is not many underground parking spaces made. the houses that DO have good parking is now so valuable that they cant upgrade the building. i know a company that was in the planes of tearing down a old building and build a bigger and more modern building there. the problem was that they can't use the underground parking garage after the upgrade. so they cant upgrade as they do need the parking space for there fleet of car's. the other option is to sell and move out of oslo.

[@simonkraemer3725]

This really depends, dutch infrastructure also has cycle lanes but they are typically used on busy 30km/h streets. The problem with bike paths (that's what you mean) is that they have to be maintained seperately, so they have to clear the ice in the winter both on the street and the bike path, and those bikelanes can be annoying for cyclists if they are too narrow; they will pass on the sidewalk which is bad for foot traffic. Cycle paths should be prefered but if there isn't enough space and maintainance power, bike lanes are more practical. Of course not if they run right on the dooring zone or are way to tight.

[@grapsorz]

@@mapgar1479 well we now se a unprecedented amount of ppl moving g out of the city. they cant live there anymore. btw "bikes for handicapet ppl"? HOW? ppl need to travel more then 20km unless they actually live in the city center where there is next to no handicapet adopted apartment's. and if there is they cant afford it as they need more space then normal.

[@valentijnraw]

very nice to see the streets of oslo again, i walked there last year. what a beautiful city

[@SeanLumly]

Outstanding.

[@andyvu8513]

Cycling works in the city/downtown area where everything is compact and close together. (I live in the U.S., an avid cyclist and enjoy my bike AND car too). With the U.S. it is such a large and vast land territory that a lot of people live in the suburbs or small towns that are 20-40 miles from the downtown/city center where they work. Imagine cycling 40 miles to work in hot, humid 94 F degree (34 C) weather for 40 miles to work? There needs to be a balance of the two in the U.S.

[@iskrystall1766]

Well Oslo isn't that much different from what you describe. There's just a tiny amount of ppl living in the core inner city centre. And we also are surrounded by suburbia. The only difference that may be is that we have a more dense poulation in the "belt" around the city centre before we hit the suburbs. Oslo also has several mini-centers or small towns inside the city like Grunerløkka, Majorstua, Frogner, Sagene and so on. But isn't that similar to what you got in the states too? -And for travelling between them bikes are a good alternative. The continous stretch of the urban footprint of Oslo is (by measuring a straight line through air on your mapping site of choice) about12-15 miles to the north, 20 miles to the west, and abt 12-15 miles to the south-east. Then it continues with small commuter-towns at least 40 miles away. The malls and super-stores around the city still favor cars here too :-) But I have seen that i.e. IKEA has been working on new concepts for shopping and delivery, but it looks far away.... There's just the really dedicated enthusiast theat travel by bike to work form the commuter towns (but there actually are some(!) It is some cycle "highways" close by the regular highways, but those are not even close to good enough, and they make you go on a few detours - They are miles away from what you may find in the Netherlands.... But for normal people the solution is to see this as a large project. For the longer journeys from the commuter-towns and the outskirts there is commuter-trains. There's commuter car parkings close to stations and may offer solutins for bicycles too. Then there's regional buses for the places without trains, and to reach the outskirts of the urban area. Then for the city-wide transportation there's the metro. For the next level it's the city tram and then there's city-buses. To get to your final destination you then has to change either to a bus or a tram - and now also to bikes. And much of the success for getting ppl to go on bikes relies on the fact that they can use the city-bikes (rental bikes) to take you from where the train/metro/tram got you to where you want to actually go. So, this you see in the video is all achieveable. The basis for commuting has been there for a long time; The key for what's presented here is that they are now taking back the streets and making better bike lanes so that the commuters, shoppers, students or other "city users" actually want to cycle, and feel safe to do that. And, yes, making it a little harder for the cars so that it will be a little bit less attractive to choose the car. So, it's not an excuse to say that European cities a SOO completly different. It is just a matter of wanting this, and do it. And also realize that it will take time. But with that being said: Oslo isn't entirely there yet. It takes a long time, and remember that some of the "bragging" is just an expression that the mayor just want this to happen, not that we actually are there yet. But without it we would have no "drive" to move on... :-)

[@RiderOftheNorth1968]

The car centric city is what you describe in the US, it took about 30 years to build. USA needs to rebuild their cities, just like many European countries are doing, to make it people centric. It can be done but it takes time and effort, just as it took to build the car centric cities.

[@540serginho]

Fantastic !

[@davehyde6207]

Positive, like minded people doing what it takes for the well being of all, well done to all involved

[@rodrigosouto9502]

This is a dream coming true

[@Rahshu]

This is amazing! We could never do this in the US. For me, it feels like nothing can ever really get better. Imagining that things cane improve is just utopian thinking, so it's unrealistic, and utopians have created so many well-meaning distopias. Therefore you should just accept things are the way they are and deal with it. It's hard to imagine that things really can be better. I can hardly remember the last time I ever felt optimistic about the future. It's like a good future is possible only somewhere else and not here. That's depressing, isn't it?

[@jake2879]

Rahshu Beltan It seems that way, but only because powerful people want you to feel that way. A better world is possible, even for us stubborn Americans. It starts with you and me

[@robertdegroot8302]

Cars going out of style is actually inevitable in the long run: the amount of metals and fossil fuels we have on the planet simply don't allow for billions of people to move around 2 tons at 100km/h whenever they feel like it. Bicycles and public transport must and will become the norm again. This shift towards cars and fuel becoming too expensive for the majority of people is gradual, but has already started years ago and can't be stopped. In a democracy, that means the infrastructure will be adapted to accomodate them, not the rich few who will still own cars. I think you will see it in your lifetime.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

National politics are a mess, but local politics seem to be slowly but surely chugging along. Trump is out for now, anyway, which is a relief. We'll see how everything plays out later on, but I think we'll see better and better systems over time.

[@grassytramtracks]

It could physically be done in the long term in the US, the problem is the lack of political will

[@noneofyourbusinez]

I hope this catches on.

[@grapsorz]

i think you will look different on this if you live there.. BELIVE ME!. do you liek to get a extra 400$ on your familie budget in toll fees alone? this smal city now have over 85 tool booth's. dividing the city in to smal section's.

[@grapsorz]

the inner toll "ring" is around the center, then you have two more outside that. AND dividing lines to section up the city so you "cant slip under the toll radar" you cant live outside the center and drive you kid's to hock practice or kindergarden etc befor work. and for ppl living outside the city they now have to spend 1-2h extra everyday to get to and back from work. delivering the kids is no longer possible for many. they have to be off befor the kindergarden is open.

[@grapsorz]

the public transport dont work. you need to be on your way befor the kindergartens open. using public transport put so much extra time on your travel that you just dont make it. if your travel time goes from 25-35 minuts one way to 90-120 minutts ONE WAY you just wont make it.

[@grapsorz]

moste of the ppl that need to go to the center dont live there.. they live 30-80 km outside.

[@grapsorz]

well. what i see now is that some work is moving out of the city as it is getting hard to get there. as moste traffic is directed "under the city" it was not that much of a problem to start with. NOW however the drive around the city is LONG. a trip that 2 years ago took 5-15 minutts is not 60. the delivery and service ppl i have talked to is now spending a LOT more time in the cars in the city center as it id devided up and you cant go from a to b you need to go around and under to get 200 yard. AND some is taking a "inner city fee" of around 120 euro to pay for the extra cost of driving AND the parking tickets they now get as there is no place to stop. if THIS is for the environment "they have failed" the big polletter in Oslo os heating during the winter. and the fact that you get a closes in atmosphere (due to cold temps you get a lid over the city) dont help. and it is the pore that cant afford the subsidized wood burner replacements etc that is the problem. and they cant afford to use electricity as moste other ppl do. AND with the EU regulations and poetics that is pushed on us electricity prices is going up so more wood is needed to keep hot. i use 15-35 ton's of wood a year myself.

[@roivosemraiva]

This is an excellent report. Very innovative getting away from car centric society..we should learn from this..

[@SoundCastle00]

Sorry for showing up 5 years later. Getting all the congestion off the street also allows for ambulances....fire trucks ect to move much more efficiently i would assume.

[@DougGrinbergs]

Colored asphalt seems like a great idea.

[@OriginalPuro]

Physically separated lanes are much better.

[@luizmatthew1019]

@@OriginalPuro That takes more space

[@Lolimaster]

Not really, just put a small concrete brick where you paint the white line to divide the painted bycicle lane.

[@johanwittens7712]

For a european, it's strange to hear you say that. :) Red or yellow coloured asphalt is used all the time and has been used for decades in road construction here in my country (belgium), mainly for bike paths. The dutch use red coloured asphalt religiously for bike paths too. And if we don't use coloured asphalt, we use red coloured bricks or tiles. It lasts much longer than painted lanes, and requires far less maintenance/no repainting... It is also a good way to seperate bikes from pedestrians, and to make clear to pedestrians where the bike lanes are. On roads where cars go faster than 50km/h a physical seperation is preferable though, on top of colour seperation.

[@johnny_eth]

@@Lolimaster A small concrete brick would be an accident prone prop. Either the lanes need physical separation or some sort of tall barrier.

[@OriginalPuro]

I hope we get there, the faster the better. Good job SykkeliOslo!

[@karoldobrzynski4103]

And how do you deal with the weather in Oslo? I mean how many rainy days in Oslo are on average over the year and how often do strong winds blow? And also how long does the cycling season last, because summer in Norway is very short?

[@annmyhre]

I am a middle aged woman, winter cycling for my second year (but have been summer cycling for 40), here in Oslo. We just dress up in woolly stuff when it is wet and/or cold. I think to many questions and discussions on the weather is a red herring, and we shouldn't use to much time on it. Or the helmet discussion. Just do it, just grab a bike :)

[@grassytramtracks]

You can cycle in the rain, it's not a big deal, it rains all the time in the Netherlands, but that doesn't put people off, and people in Finland also aren't put off by their harsh winters, even in Oulu

[@shirlebryant9427]

Excellent

[@SamVekemans]

Is there an update on this? As it's now 2019.

[@gullf1sk]

There is massive resistance against the car free bullshit. People are furious.

[@squareinsquare2078]

@@gullf1sk The best way to please people who own cars who are furious is to ignore them wholesale. Their time is over, get off your lazy ass if you have a car, don't expect me to fund your roads and to give up huge amounts of my city to your oversized wheelchair. Cities are for people, not cars.

[@_Pumpkin_Seed_]

Sam - As an immigrant who lives in Oslo Norway. Electric scooters are everywhere in Oslo in 2019. There are still cars in Oslo, but less and less every year. Norwegian politician have added huge taxes on Roads from cities to cities. Unless you own a electric car, you will live an expensive life if you travel from city to city. Because of that. but not if you own electric cars. there are too much Tesla's in Oslo. The car free 2019 Oslo did not live to its expectation because of slow work and slow policies. But you can say in 5-10 years, more streets will remove car parking. However the grow of Tesla will continue in Oslo unless Norwegian politics put a tax on roads for electric cars also. And NO, all Norwegians are against Road Taxes, they hate it and you can't blame them. Norwegians are furious about new road taxes. I know a Norwegian guy who had to quit his work because of that.

[@nassimback]

@@_Pumpkin_Seed_ People think that it only takes a good government to make the change ,it's the funding that does most of the job ,the governmemnt can't afford all of these new train projects & reductions when buying a tesla (don't forget that a tesla is a luxurious car and not a cheap one) people must contribute to the change ! Pay the road tax ,pay the co2 tax ,pay the parking tax ,pay the expensive gas...or buy a cheap bike and pay no more :p

[@bikelanez7376]

This is great 👍

[@rallyzamora8356]

Amazing

[@michaelbach8554]

Is it time for a progress report for the last year?

[@StreetfilmsCommunity]

It could be, however it will not be me as I was not able to raise the funds to go again.

[@youlex5747]

ok....I appreciate but..now where do you park your car?

[@dougwedel9484]

Any updates on Oslo? I can't find links which show how things are now.

[@richardv9648]

Yes. buses and trains are shut down due to Covid. Cars are back.

[@dougwedel9484]

@@richardv9648 o wow. Sorry to hear that. The journey to car free took a detour.

[@NiebraWolf]

California and America in general needs this. Cars take over so much and honestly, some people should get their cars taken away. There are so much stupid drivers and seeing something like this gives me hope.

[@panterafanloco1600]

I hope we can ban bicycles too.

[@simonArmenia1]

Love it

[@fartrellcluggins9597]

I love this.

[@eyluldutcu3802]

such a great work.. such an aware politicians. i hope one day, countries like US understand and pay attention this important problem

[@wanderingbox7971]

awesomeness......🏃➡️Oslo..👌

[@officiallynrgxlr8tr]

switching to car-free also has a lot of economic benefits. cars are expensive, so reducing a cost for workers in an economy allows them to spend their money on things other than cars, which for many people represents their second-biggest expense (including capital (car itself + parking space/garage), insurance, gas, maintainence). so imagine you could basically eat out every day without any additional cost because you are free to live without a car. this effect will be especially noticeable to countries that don't make cars themselves.

[@StreetfilmsCommunity]

more news! www.fastcompany.com/40434409/if-you-cant-ban-cars-downtown-just-take-away-the-parking-spaces?.com&

[@BillMintjeHD-Brussels-Belgium]

Great city...clean!!

[@danielledean9077]

I'm so jealous.

[@chrisdean6700]

Norway is a great country and a dependable ally to the United States. I would love to retire there....maybe in Sognal, Flam, or Lillehammer???

[@EdPal]

i love this concept but i doubt it'll work in tropical climate like my country. too hot and humid here

[@SingleButHappy]

Oslo seems to be more beautiful than Stockholm and Copenhagen. 😊

[@robviolin1]

great story

[@richardblackhound1246]

So, it's 2019 now. Is Oslo car free, or will it be later in the year?

[@gullf1sk]

Not gonna happen any time soon, people are furious about these politicians in their ivory tower restricting peoples methods of movement. The people who are responsible for this will most likely be out on their asses in the next elections and things will be back to the way it should be.

[@gullf1sk]

Freedom is not toxic and unwholesome. The car is the one of the most freeing inventions in the history of mankind, with only capitalism surpassing it. Car noise makes people ill? You will have to provide a source to your claim.

[@gullf1sk]

Freedom means as little government oppression as possible. Free to live your life as you see fit. Free to pursue your own happiness. That is what freedom is. Yeah and about the source, i knew you couldnt dig it up.

[@gullf1sk]

Holy moly, being free to live your life as you see fit, and being free to pursue your own happiness is a psychopatic view of freedom? You people on the left are losing it more and more for every day that passes. You are an authoritarian lunatic and i hope you have no children to take it out on.

[@gullf1sk]

Your views are far left authoritarian, wether you acknowledge it or not. Again, i ask you, what is psychopathic about the well established views on freedom that i stated?

[@agnesf2659]

I live in Toronto, Canada and have two cars now. One of my 2023 new year resolutions is replacing one of my Mercedes with a dutch bike. Hope I won't be hit by some big SUV someday while riding.

[@heyoou]

lived in Mississauga for 10 years but moved back to my hometown in Montreal. In Mississauga I biked to and from work for 4 years as I ditched the car and used public transit when it rained. Loved to bike 7kms to work in 20 minutes easy. In Montreal I own a car but recently bought an Ebike in 2022. Now I go easily 20kms to places by Ebike. Went to Dr's appointment by Ebike that took 40 minutes going there and 1hr getting home only because of rush hour. It would take me over 1hr each trip if I took metro and buses. The car would take me 20 minutes but don't trust traffic and construction detours almost everywhere I go. EBikes are great for hills where little energy is needed without having to sweat or exert lots of energy. Just peddle on PAS5 and you don't get tired or leg pain. As Ebikes become more advanced with longer battery runtimes, more ppl will ditch their expensive cars for Ebkes with the enormous savings, health benefits, and Ebikes help with your mental well-being by far than cars. I get 80km on me Ebike with peddle assist before needing to recharge battery. 50 kms without having to peddle at all. My anger has taken a beating here in Montreal for the last 6 years with road blocks and construction everywhere. Ppl are fed up with their cars traveling. EBikes are fun to ride. I calculated that my ebike will pay for itself after 1 year's use.

[@Limosethe]

How's Oslo doing 4 years later?

[@luiscoelho555]

For all over european cities this kind of solutions are being made, not only in Oslo. Priority for bikes and pedestrian is the right way to carbon free cities.

[@MeloIZCor3]

If only North America was like this.

[@scwfan08]

Please go there again next year.

[@lmtada]

What about rest of the Country. Norway is more than one city?

[@annmyhre]

In Trondheim more are cycling, but the infrastructure in Stavanger is better. No-one is talking about Bergen, which is a shame, because I lived there for 5 years and it was a great cycling city, much better long before Oslo became a good city for cyclist.

[@xyrandus]

This video is hopelessly optimistic. It's still far easier to drive in Oslo than cycle, and I say that as a very keen cyclist. There are still heaps of cars in the city centre and most of the bike infrastructure is just painted lines on the road. This video makes it seem like Oslo is close to a Dutch city for bikes but in truth it's much closer to an American city.

[@Aidan_Au]

When are American cities gonna do this too......?

[@m9078jk3]

I'd love to see it. I am sick of all the motor vehicle pollution and dangerous traffic as well as noise within my city. I can easily travel fast and far on my electric bike and I got rid of my car 6 years ago.

[@-who8812]

I'm not from the US, but I saw San Francisco tries to do that.

[@nicholaslipanovich827]

@@-who8812 Hardly, Seattle is doing better than we are. San Francisco is still a dangerous place for pedestrians and cyclists.

[@udishomer5852]

Not in our lifetime. I pretty much lost hope for the US, with a few exceptions.

[@Zhak7]

Nah us citizens love their comfort too much

[@user-wr1wm3fh5e]

😍🥰super

[@serkanboztepe4623]

Here in Cologne they have made a promise too to make the city more bikefriendly and get out the cars of the city many years ago. And hey...I am absolutely sure in 10 or 20 years they will have finished all the paperwork to start a testing phase of 10 or 20 years just to tell the test has failed an we will stay with cars in the city. Just Cologne! I look with big envy to cities where people have learned that cars in cities just don't work and make radical changes to make things happen within a couple of years. Good job, Oslo!!

[@Rocodil]

I like the example of Utrecht, the Netherlands (look for the KZbin video) It is amazing

[@MikeGibsonminilectures]

Fantastic, nice one Oslo. Now step up Leicester.

[@xacompany]

I love Oslo but my complain is that there is a lot of smokers and cigarette butts pa gulvet virtually everywhere and no one seems to care.

[@canica99]

Lovely report about the change in Oslo but the blond is just stunning to me... great to see a city invest in a public transportation that makes been outside a great experience and it is convenient as well.

[@bramblemac4471]

So no one in Oslo is disabled or ill or old and can't walk or cycle ?

[@johndewey6358]

What happens when it snows and there is ice on the roads or when it is over 100F degrees heat? how can people safely bike? I think we can learn a lot of lessons from Norway o Holland.

[@idah5496]

the same u do with roads for cars. in Finland or the Netherlands u can find examples of people still using bikes when its snowy at the same rate as the rest of the year as the bake lanes get cleared of the snow

[@idah5496]

as for the high temperatures idk.. lucky if it ever gets to 30 celsius edit: tho less polution form the cars and more vegetation can lead to reduse the heat in the area

[@johndewey6358]

@@idah5496 I agree with you. Our government must start to think and plan differently. I think within the next 10 years in USA the self driving electric taxies will be cheaper than owning cars; then most people will give up their cars .and a lot of people will think about new ideas like using Bikes. I am very impressed by what Finland, Norway and Netherland have done by designing their cities to be bike friendly, very impressive forward thinking people who can teach us a lot of good things.

[@idah5496]

@@johndewey6358 I have used a lot of time watching channels like Not Just Bikes, about city planning and other urban planning, form a Canadian living in the Netherlands, so im gonna go on a rant cause i really like this topic. I am not that impressed by my own government (Norway); the amount of electric cars we have is an exception. i have spent some time in Denmark and just there its fells so much better traveling; buses are on time and cheaper, the same with trains, and its easier to get around with a bike (tho they have an much easier time with their flat landscape) tho, i think its important to look at the best examples everywhere and try to implement them as the guidelines right away, so the change will happen quicker, cause rebuilding the infrastructure takes a lot of time, but then again it takes time to understand why they work and sometimes it might not work everywhere. Even in the Netherlands not everything is changed to their today's standards, because renovation might sometime not be needed more than every 30 to 40th year. im saying this since we often look at whats easily achievable and not what (at least i think) our goals should be. Oslo is more progressive than the rest of the country and in other parts of the country i feel like, just now, we can see progress in this aspect. if we talk about the north part of the country im more unsure on how its going, since it seems like most of the politics are focused on the southern and middle part of Norway, not speaking of that the population density is much lower in the northern parts EDIT: also about the taxis and the cost of a car, her and in Europe the cost of gas and cars are much higher, so im planning to get an electric bike, use train and buss to otherwise get around, if i need a car i will rent one or borrow it. i just need to find a place i can properly live where its not car dependent (as there still is many places on the Norwegian country side

[@mikewade777]

warm clothes and sunscreen.

[@tom0900060]

I would love to ride bicycle to work every day

[@vizualedit0r481]

Where do all the cars go without the parking spots though?

[@RiderOftheNorth1968]

Home! People use different means to transport themself, that is the whole idea.

[@vizualedit0r481]

@@RiderOftheNorth1968 I meant the parking spots at your home, they get removed.

[@RiderOftheNorth1968]

@@vizualedit0r481 If you live that central perhaps you really don´t need a car? In the Netherlands they have solved this problem in many different ways, depending on the exact situation on site.

[@vizualedit0r481]

@@RiderOftheNorth1968 Which ways in which they solved this problem do you know of? Just curious because even if you don't need a car in your own city you may still need it for traveling to various other places within the country.

[@RiderOftheNorth1968]

@@vizualedit0r481 I know just one right out of the top of my head. There was a underground parking garage that was not needed for puplic parking after the change of road systems. That garage was dedicated for locals to park in. In many places there is underground parking that can be use by locals after the neighbourhood have been built to be car free. Generally not many people lives in the inner city parts that gets the car free zones so street parking, done right, will ofter be enough. Car user "from outside" have to park outside of the zone and walk, rent a cycle, take the bus and what not.

[@syedanupalam7891]

Is Norway allow dual citizenship?

[@Sluretje]

Good thing u learn from the Netherlands!

[@marcelj5349]

Very little is being done in the USA to promote safe biking or walking. It is extremely dangerous to bike or walk anywhere in the USA.

[@pheart2381]

I feel like sending this video to the u.k. government. In my town there is zero infrastructure for cyclists. I think my local supermarket has a few racks outside. That is all.

[@MrRealitybite]

U r so lucky. Here in latin america no government gives a flying fuck about improving life quality

[@cloudchaser907]

#vermont #philscott

[@G0DofRock]

@11:00 "What am I gonna do with my cars?" Sell them.... You just wasted tens of thousands of dollars PLUS thousands every single year with insurance, gas and maintenance.

[@RiderOftheNorth1968]

That is a very shortsighted way to see it. How long do the first owner of a car use it? How much less is it worth by then? How much money is spent on said car to drive it? Don´t buy a new car, buy a bicycle and some train and buss passes and you will see that your wallet loves it.

[@angelastewart1450]

Good ! I be car free soon & will never buy again. No car no high priced car insurance. Cleaner air .

[@markanthony3275]

No way to escape from the muslims who are taking over your neighbourhood by out populating you. No way to go somewhere out in the country by yourself without the government watching you on cameras. Yes...great benefits indeed!

[@aaronlopez717]

Oh the bossiness of private companies Parking meters ??? here in NM usa ?

[@gp18tvw]

New York City could take a lesson or two from Oslo.

[@citytrees1752]

The mono-colored segments are totally distracting. Good series though.

[@natalioalbertohernandezcas3491]

WELLCOM EUROPE CICLYNG REVOLUTION. YOU ARE SAVING PLANET EARTH. GIGA THANKS.

[@matthewcain2880]

Everything was cool, except for those rental bikes

[@brianfoster6700]

Why don't they build the bicycling infrastructure that the Netherlands has.

[@StreetfilmsCommunity]

Most of their roads are very narrow. By eliminating parking, painting them red and having them curbside and having a general public that doesnt park where they shouldn't, they dont function much differently. They'd need more money to make them all like The Netherlands right away, although if the city continues to go car-free, you'll probably see some of these bike lanes morph into protected bike tracks.

[@OriginalPuro]

The whole narrow streets thing has been disproved, it's just that cars are prioritised over building new infrastructure. That means parking spaces remain, if they remove the parking spaces the streets are wide enough.

[@Andreas4696]

Norway isn't flat as a pancake like the Netherlands.

[@linneamiller3830]

Winter and MDG is crazy insane!! Norwegian people haaaaate them!!!

[@thomasnorb4077]

Norway is a winter country, the Netherlands is not. There are huge differences between those two countries.

[@tom0900060]

Private cars should be banned as long as the public transport are well covered

[@RiderOftheNorth1968]

And there is the big challenge! In many places there is impossible to have public transport that is economical. If the population density is to low there is no cost effective way to build a functional service.

[@rorouc]

Just like in the US

[@jonarthritiskwanhc]

Why not just re-introduce trolleybuses to Oslo?

[@thomasnorb4077]

Why? We already have buses, trams, and a subway.

[@Zoco101]

I just hope that those buses in Oslo (of which there will be more) are not diesel buses. In a city centre, the pollution from one diesel bus is worse for human lungs than 100+ petrol cars. Are private electric cars or 3-wheel velocycles allowed in the centre of Oslo? The recent London Mayors have virtually banned private cars from the centre of London using a special toll for entering the centre. Only the rich can afford to drive there now. There is a corresponding increase in diesel buses and taxis, and there are more executive cars. Only now are there substantial numbers of electric/gas London buses. The taxis will follow suit, but not yet. It was politically correct but ecologically and democratically monstrous to discourage private petrol vehicles in favour of company cars and diesel buses and taxis.

[@teddybearisms2505]

Its more easy to oppress your people if they cant get around without you.

[@jamieturnage4574]

this is what america needs to do .cars is only good for one thing long distence travel they dont belong in a city.their only use should be for the highway

[@michaelnj700]

Look how those North people smart. And goal concentrated. And good English!

[@clarkkent4595]

Walking with you maybe ?