Norwegian Municipalities Grapple with Tourist Bus Damage on Rural Roads
Oslo, Norway – As Norway braces for an estimated 6.4 million visitors this tourist season, a growing number of municipalities are protesting the strain placed on their infrastructure by tourist buses. Reports highlight instances of these large vehicles traveling on narrow, unsuitable roads, causing significant damage and leaving local authorities struggling with repair costs.
The issue is particularly acute in Vestland county, where tourist buses have been observed driving “illegally” on roads leading to popular attractions like the kannesteinen rock formation. According to Arve Helle, a municipal politician responsible for communication and transport in Vestland, these buses are often too heavy for the roads, leading to deterioration. Helle stated that the municipality lacks the financial resources to repair all roads affected by utility traffic and tourism, emphasizing that the business community should contribute more to address the problem. “We need more money to cope with absolutely necessary maintainance,” he told NRK.
This challenge is not isolated to Vestland. Earlier this year, the municipality of Ålesund implemented a ban on tourist buses on the road leading to the Fjellstua viewpoint. Despite the ban, police have reportedly stopped several buses that have disregarded the restriction. The road to the famous crow’s lighthouse is also cited as being under-dimensioned for the volume and weight of large tourist buses.
However,the Norwegian tourism industry disputes the severity of the criticism. Tobias Strandskog-Christisten, a political advisor at NHO reiseliv, argued that blaming the tourism industry is misguided, pointing out that passenger cars, business transport, and other vehicles also utilize these roads. He suggested that singling out tourism is an oversimplification of the issue.
