2. June 2015
Challenges and solutions
Gottfried Heinzerling, the head of Rogaland County Council’s department for transportation, emphasised the main goal of the package of measures for Nord-Jæren: “Zero traffic growth through 2032”. This is for the sake of the climate, and also part of an integrated land use and transport policy. The aim is to give priority to public transport, cyclists and pedestrians, as well as to freight transport. “Busway 2020” is a key element of this vision, combined with the strategic use of toll rings.
Public transport infrastructure is the key to zero-carbon cities
Floire Daub of Spacegroup opened his presentation by discussing the Scandinavian “8 million city”, and the journey from Oslo to Gothenburg and on to Copenhagen. How user-friendly is Oslo Central Station, and how can it be improved?
This issue is also relevant to Sandnes. Spacegroup has drawn up a proposal for “Ruten”, the main square in Sandnes. The aim is to create an open, flexible space for residents, converting it into the
“Central Park” of Sandnes. The severance created by the railway will be minimal, and there will be good links to the harbour, which lies to the east of Ruten.
Double tracking in Jæren
“The railway is the backbone of the transport system in Jæren, and it must provide a green, high-quality service that ties the various parts of the region together, making it a good place to live and work” said Lars Rugtvedt of Jernbaneverket (the Norwegian National Rail Administration).
Double tracking from Sandnes to Nærbø will create high capacity and allow frequent services, enabling more people to travel by public transport. Planning a project like this involves work in a number of areas. Stations must be functional and user-friendly, and there must be clear strategies for feeder services.
Espen Martinsen of Analyse & Strategi has been involved in studying the system of feeder services for the railway line in Jæren. The aim is to sketch out possible strategies and concepts for feeding the railway line, in order to help reach the overall goal of maximising the number of journeys that go by public transport.
“In order to optimise the roles of bus and rail, you need to look at the public transport system as a whole, giving both trains and buses the best possible chance to complement one another,” said Martinsen.
Analyse & Strategi’s managing director Bjørn Oscar Unander concluded the meeting by saying that rapid population growth in Jæren means that a good public transport system is needed. Espen Eek also gave a brief summary of the work done by Multiconsult so far on double tracking in Jæren.
“The breakfast meeting was a success, with good food, interesting presentations and network building. This is a unique opportunity to get together and discuss technical topics with other people in the industry, and our office would definitely like to hold more of these events,” says Kari Loland, the marketing contact at Multiconsult’s South West office.