ITE Journal - May 2020 - 38

than enforcement. In most cases, the city combines revision of speed
limits with measures such as speed humps, tighter curb radii and
bulb outs, to ensure that an acceptable share of drivers adhere to
the new speeds. Arterials are typically posted at 50 km/hr (31 mph),
smaller streets with bus traffic are posted at 40 km/hr (25 mph) and
local streets at 30 km/hr (19 mph). One factor influencing both traffic,
speeds and safety is that few city streets or roads have more than one
lane for cars in each direction. Most streets that used to have three or
four lanes have had bus lanes or bike lanes installed, so that they now
only have one lane for cars. This helps limit traffic, but also makes the
act of crossing the street less complex. With only one lane for cars,
pedestrians have an easier time placing their attention, and vehicles
are less likely to obscure people when crossing.
Since 2015, the city has implemented 50 km (31 miles) of bike
lanes, removed parking spaces equivalent to 4,250 cars from its
streets, installed around 500 speed humps, and lowered speed
limits on many streets. This led to almost two-thirds of the road
network now having a speed limit of 30 km/hr (19 mph).4 The city
government has vowed to make 30 km/hr the standard citywide
speed limit in the future.
Below are some statistics that further elaborate Oslo's
success focusing on Vision Zero, and the road safety strides
recently achieved.
No vulnerable road users died in 2019, and only one car
driver died.5
No school children have died in traffic in decades. There are
no records of children between 6 and 15-years-old dying in
traffic since digital records began in 1999.6
The risk of fatal or serious road traffic injuries, on a trip-bytrip basis, has fallen 47 percent for cyclists, 41 percent for
pedestrians, and 32 percent for drivers between 2014 and
2018. The average number per 1 million trips for cyclists was
reduced from 3.19 to 1.7, pedestrians from 0.74 to 0.44, and
car occupants from 1.67 to 1.14.7
In Norway in 2019, no children died in traffic crashes, and there
were only two fatal injuries per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to a
death rate of 11.4 per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States.
Now that transportation professionals know it is possible to
achieve zero, learning from cities like Oslo and Helsinki, we must
all strive to achieve the same goal. We have an obligation to protect
all road users, especially vulnerable road users. With a common
goal of zero, political priorities, and aggressive standards like Oslo,
we can ensure the pedestrian and bicyclists are no longer vulnerable
in our cities. We must start now-as Oslo has been prioritizing
safety of pedestrians and bicyclists for decades-and decide that
even single digit fatalities are not acceptable. Transportation
professionals should take these lessons and apply them all over the
world so no motorist, pedestrian, or bicyclist need to risk their life
just to get from point a to point b. itej
38

May 2020

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References
1. World Population Review. "Oslo Population 2020." https://
worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/oslo-population/ [Accessed
March 28, 2020].
2. National Transport Plan 2006-2015. National Cycling Strategy: Making
Cycling Safe and Attractive. Norwegian Public Roads Administration. May
2003. https://www.vegvesen.no/_attachment/60913/binary/13273?fast_
title=National+Cycling+Strategy+-+A+summary+in+English.pdf
[Accessed March 28, 2020].
3. Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Annual Report on Sustainable
Transportation, 2018. https://www.vegvesen.no/_attachment/2740974
/binary/1334271?fast_title=Nasjonalt+regnskap+for+b%C3%A6
rekraftig+mobilitet.pdf [Accessed March 28, 2020].
4. NRK. "Oslo removes thousands of parking spaces to clear the path for
cyclists." Citing information from the Agency of Urban Environment, Oslo.
August 26, 2019. https://www.nrk.no/osloogviken/fjerner-tusenvis-avparkeringsplasser-for-a-slippe-syklistene-frem-1.14674649 [Accessed
March 28, 2020].
5. Norwegian National Roads Administration, Press release with preliminary
numbers on road deaths in 2019. January 1, 2020. https://www.
vegvesen.no/om+statens+vegvesen/presse/nyheter/nasjonalt/110omkom-i-trafikken [Accessed March 28, 2020].
6. Statistics Norway, Road traffic accidents involving personal injury. https://
www.ssb.no/en/statbank/list/vtu/ [Accessed March 28, 2020].
7. Agency for Climate, Oslo. "Getting there safely by bike." https://www.
klimaoslo.no/2020/04/08/trygt-fram-pa-oslos-sykkelveier/ [Accessed
April 14, 2020].

Anders Hartmann is an urban planner based in Oslo,
Norway. He is currently an adviser on walking, cycling,
and road safety at the Oslo Department of
Transportation and Environment. Formerly, he helped
develop the Oslo Standard for Bicycle Facilities. In the
summer of 2020, he will join the consultancy firm Asplan Viak as a
senior adviser on urban transportation and planning. He holds a
master's degree in Architecture from The Oslo School of
Architecture and Design.
Sarah Abel (M) is a technical programs manager with
ITE working in transportation planning, complete
streets, safety, Vision Zero, and health. Prior to joining
ITE, Sarah was the planning director for the Town of
St. Michaels, MD, USA and the community design
manager/director at the ESLC Center for Towns on the Eastern
Shore of Maryland. She is a former president of the Association for
Community Design and a certified professional in Social Economic
Environmental Design (SEED).

ITE Journal - May 2020

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