Norwegian tourist hotspot Lofoten introduces new parking rules
Police in Lofoten have begun issuing hefty fines to motorists for reckless parking, with stricter rules introduced across the popular Norwegian archipelago.
Popular tourist spots across the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway are becoming congested with poorly parked cars, and local police are concerned that it is causing safety issues.
"The lack of parking spaces has led people to leave their cars anywhere and everywhere, especially at popular spots," said traffic officer Hege Svenndatter Johansen from Moskenes municipality told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2.
"There's a risk of chaos. It seems like people are simply abandoning their cars. We even had a situation where seven campervans were attempting to park, stopping right in the middle of an 80 km/h zone. It poses a major safety concern," Johansen, who has become the first person appointed in the municipality to manage the parking challenge, said.
New rules have been introduced, and west Lofoten now has parking zones whereby before, drivers could park anywhere they wished.
Parked cars congesting the island's narrow roads can make it hard for emergency vehicles to get through.
"People can get sick or fall off the mountains and injure themselves. Then there is a risk that ambulances or other emergency vehicles will not be able to arrive. There is a reason why we have to deal with this strictly now," Ketil Finstad-Steira, station chief at west Lofoten police station, told TV 2.
Local police will also now begin dishing out fines to drivers going too slowly. Police say many vehicles drive on certain roads well below the speed limit to take in the views, something which frustrates locals.
Fines for breaking the new rules are 900 kroner, with the parking ticket being written up in both Norwegian and English.
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Popular tourist spots across the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway are becoming congested with poorly parked cars, and local police are concerned that it is causing safety issues.
"The lack of parking spaces has led people to leave their cars anywhere and everywhere, especially at popular spots," said traffic officer Hege Svenndatter Johansen from Moskenes municipality told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2.
"There's a risk of chaos. It seems like people are simply abandoning their cars. We even had a situation where seven campervans were attempting to park, stopping right in the middle of an 80 km/h zone. It poses a major safety concern," Johansen, who has become the first person appointed in the municipality to manage the parking challenge, said.
New rules have been introduced, and west Lofoten now has parking zones whereby before, drivers could park anywhere they wished.
Parked cars congesting the island's narrow roads can make it hard for emergency vehicles to get through.
"People can get sick or fall off the mountains and injure themselves. Then there is a risk that ambulances or other emergency vehicles will not be able to arrive. There is a reason why we have to deal with this strictly now," Ketil Finstad-Steira, station chief at west Lofoten police station, told TV 2.
Local police will also now begin dishing out fines to drivers going too slowly. Police say many vehicles drive on certain roads well below the speed limit to take in the views, something which frustrates locals.
Fines for breaking the new rules are 900 kroner, with the parking ticket being written up in both Norwegian and English.
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