Norway has set out to decarbonize mobility at all costs

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Reorganizing mobility in cities to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians safely, reducing the amount of road traffic, is not an easy task. Most municipalities choose to create bike lanes simply painted on the shoulder or, in the best of cases, minimally separated from traffic. Resources are rarely dedicated to creating infrastructure specifically designed for cycling. It is expensive, certainly, but it is a safety plus since bikes and cars do not share the same space on the road. However, Bergen ( Norway ) is preparing to open a vibrant almost 3 km tunnel only for cyclists and pedestrians.

This is the Fyllingsdalstunnelen , carved into one of the seven mountains that surround Bergen. David against Goliath: the small town that resists being swallowed by a coal mine that is changing the map of Germany IN MOTORPASIÓN David against Goliath: the small town that resists being swallowed by a coal mine that is changing the map of Germany The 2.9 km Cell Phone Number List tunnel will connect a residential area, Fyllingsdalen, with the center of that southwestern Norwegian city. It will open to the public on April 15, 2023, with races and cycling tests to celebrate its inauguration. It will take about 10 minutes to explore by bike and 30 to 45 minutes on foot. It may seem like a long time, but it will reduce the journey time from 40 minutes to 25 minutes, according to Euronews .



Use synergies to create new bike lanes Although it is one of the longest cycling tunnels in the world, and the largest in Europe, the reality is that it has not been expressly designed for cyclists and pedestrians. Like other similar tunnels, such as the Croix-Rousse tunnel in Lyon , France, it is a shared tunnel in which cyclists have been given a privileged space. In the case of the French tunnel, a second tunnel was drilled parallel to the existing one for cars in order to have a bus lane that would not be at the mercy of the eternal traffic jams of the old main tunnel. Thus, this tunnel has a bus lane separated by concrete from the bicycle and pedestrian lanes. Tunnel under the Croix-Rousse hill Tunnel under the Croix-Rousse hill exclusively for bikes, pedestrians and buses. In the case of the Bergen tunnel, it runs parallel to the new light rail line inaugurated last November, and serves as an escape route in case of emergency for train passengers.