Transportation and Land Use in Oslo: My Summer Vacation in Norway

I spent 3 weeks living in Oslo, Norway last summer, staying with my wife's mother, sister and family. I say living rather than visiting, because going to Oslo is going home for my wife Jeannette. After five visits, Oslo is as familiar as other places I have lived or visited frequently. Also, our routine is much the sameas at home: shopping, cooking, keeping the kids entertained and visiting friends, as well as taking in the sights. One of the things I love about Oslo is how easy it is to get around the city. The transportation network is diverse, and we make full use of most modes, including car, subway, trolley, bus ferry, and foot. When I can get out by myself, I borrow my nephew's bicycle. We have use of my sister-in-law's 15 year old Volvo, but with gas costing about $1.25 per liter, and filling the tank coming in at over $50, I prefer other modes whenever possible.

Public transportation gets you just about everywhere in this city the size of Milwaukee. One of our favorite beaches is on an island in the Oslo Fjord called Langoyen. This is a small island which is entirely a city park with beaches and campsites. We take the subway downtown, then a bus to the ferry terminal and the ferry to the island, all for one fare.

Walking and bicycling are easy throughout the city. There are many pathways that create shortcuts and minimize street crossings. Pedestrian overpasses and underpasses are common where there are busier roads. Many of these paths are not paved, and almost all of the bicycles are mountain bikes. There is also an extensive green space surrounding Oslo, with easily accessible walking, bicycling and skiing trails.

Walking and bicycling for transportation is further facilitated by well mixed land uses. We could easily walk to at least five supermarkets from my mother-in-law's apartment. Supermarket is not really the right term. All five could fit into one Woodman's or Cub's. But nothing like Woodman's or Cub's exists in Oslo, and these smaller food stores are everywhere. Not only were these markets nearby, but I felt comfortable letting my nine year old son, Jacob, walk there alone. There were few streets to cross, and these were narrow, low volume streets. The furthest we would walk to was at a shopping center located two subway stops away. Walking there required crossing only three or four streets using the path network. Only the street right at the shopping center had much traffic, and the street was narrowed to slow down traffic and make it easier for pedestrians to cross. It is this easy access to destinations by walking, bicycling and public transportation that I miss the most upon returning to Madison.