Police in Oslo are mounting more control points around the city, to crack down on cyclists who are speeding or ignoring red lights. This year’s cycling season from spring through autumn has resulted in full bicycle lanes and more aggression that police want to halt.

It’s not only the electric scooters that are causing traffic hazards in Oslo, and meeting more regulations. Cyclists are also careening past busstops at high speed, frightening pedestrians in crosswalks and running red lights. Police have written out nearly 300 citations so far this year, up from just 85 during the same period in 2023 and 138 last year.

Newspaper Aftenposten reported last week that police fined 27 cyclists within 45 minutes at just one intersection in Oslo during a morning rush in August. Ignoring a red light can result in a fine of NOK 1,900 (USD 190) because it “can lead to serious accidents, both for the cyclist and others,” according to Trond Arve Olsen of the Oslo Police District.

Police now mount surprise cycling patrols along busy streets and at intersections with lots of pedestrians. Men in their 30s are most prevalent among the offenders, but some complained themselves to Aftenposten about how bicycle lanes suddenly end and they often encounter parked cars in the lanes. Some admitted they “take chances” and think Oslo still needs much better cycling infrastructure.

NewsinEnglish.no staff