Oslo to ban cars from city centre by 2020
The Norwegian capital is aiming to remove cars from its centre within the next five years, which would be the first permanent ban on vehicles in a European capital. To replace them, 60km of bicycle lanes will be built by 2019, and investment in public transport will receive a “massive boost”. Subsidies for electric vehicles will also be increased, although electric cars will also be banned from central city streets. The plan is reportedly endorsed by all three of the parties that make up Oslo’s city council: the Green party, the Labour party, and the Socialist Left.

Norway has firmly established itself as the most friendly country in the world for electric cars.

Cars with plugs account for a higher percentage of sales there than anywhere else.

But the Scandinavian country may soon take even more aggressive steps to reduce its transportation-related carbon emissions.

DON'T MISS: Norway's Goal: All New Cars Will Be Emission-Free By 2025 To Cut Carbon

Norway's capital, Oslo, may ban most people from driving their cars--electric or otherwise--into the city center by 2020, according to The Independent (via Autoblog).

"We want to have a car-free center," Lan Marie Nguyen Berg, the lead negotiator for the Norwegian Green Party in Oslo, told reporters last week.

The plan is reportedly endorsed by all three of the political parties that make up Oslo's city council: the Green Party, the Labor Party, and the Socialist Left.

Tesla Model S taxi in Oslo, Norway [photo: Tesla Motor Club]

Some European cities have introduced temporary bans to combat pollution or limit traffic, and many have "pedestrianized" streets or neighborhoods, banning regular vehicle traffic.

But Oslo's proposed action would be the first comprehensive, permanent ban in a European city.

With fewer cars around, city officials plan to emphasize alternative forms of transportation--more practical in Europe than in large swathes of the U.S. dedicated to low-density suburban developments.

MORE: One Percent Of Norway's Cars Are Already Plug-In Electrics (Apr 2014)

The proposal also calls for the construction of more than 35 miles of bike lanes by 2019, and bolstering of Oslo's public-transportation infrastructure.

Trams, buses, and delivery vehicles would still be allowed in the city center, and arrangements would also reportedly be made for cars transporting disabled people.

Most car owners in Oslo live outside the city center, but within the city's boundaries.

Tesla Roadster, Reva i, & Ford Th!nk electric cars parked at charging station in Oslo, Norway

In fact, the majority of Norway's car-driving population lives in the greater Oslo area.

The fact that so many people live within a relatively short distance of the city center has boosted the popularity of electric cars in the country, because it allows for short average commutes.

On the national level, there has also been a proposal to make close to 100 percent of new cars sold in Norway emission-free by 2025.

It's part of a larger plan to cut carbon emission by 40 percent from 1990 levels over the next 15 years.

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