Drivers of gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles recently saw road tolls into Oslo jump to NOK 49 (USD 6.40), and higher if driving in from the west. Now they daily face tolls of as much as NOK 160, while owners of electric cars will be charged for the first time as well, albeit much less.
A relatively big rebate for the so-called el-bil drivers is nonetheless pushing up the punitive tolls for drivers of fossil-fuel cars that are aimed to help finance expansion and other improvements to the E-18 highway west of the Norwegian capital. While diesel drivers will be hit hardest, those driving gasoline and even hybrid vehicles will have to pay tolls of NOK 150 by 2025.
State broadcaster NRK reported that drivers of electric cars that have been exempted from all tolls for years will now need to drive through new toll plazas in suburban Bærum and two in Oslo alone during both the morning and afternoon commuter rush. The el-bil drivers’ tolls will be less than half those for the fossil vehicles, totalling an estimated NOK 71 per day.
The politicians’ goal is to coax increasing numbers of commuters off the road and on to public transport instead. A decision was still made to expand the E18, with the first phase of the “new E18” through Bærum expected to cost nearly NOK 14 billion.
newsinenglish.no staff
