– The most important thing in public transport is accessibility, that it is not too far from a public transport stop, said city council leader Raymond Johansen when he was in a debate with Høyre’s challenger Eirik Lae Solberg at Civita Wednesday morning.
Johansen then listed frequency, how often buses, trams and the subway run, as the second most important, before comfort and price are the third and fourth most important.
– But the political change of words is mostly only about price: That you should halve the price, Johansen said with a clear reference to MDG’s collective stunt in the election campaign with a 40 percent discount on monthly cards until the election and an election promise of the same if they are re-elected.
Raymond: – I’m struggling
– It could weaken the public transport company’s ability to do something about the most important things, availability and frequency, warned Raymond Johansen before making the following admission:
– I struggle with this internally at my city council, where there is symbolic politics. Where you think price is the only blissful thing. Then you might saw off the branch you’re sitting on, which means you can strengthen public transport, said Johansen.
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Eirik Lae Solberg then got the floor and criticized the city council’s campaign in the election campaign where prices have been greatly reduced while Oslo people are going to vote.
– I went on a personal financial crisis. I was going to buy a single ticket for my daughter which cost NOK 16, but I could get a monthly pass for NOK 20. It is a somewhat special use of the community’s funds just before the election, when you have to set up the price again right after, said Lae Solberg, before he concluded:
– I think it is better to lower the price a little permanently instead of lowering it a lot right before the election.
At that point, the debate was actually supposed to move on to the next topic, but Raymond Johansen felt like throwing in something at the end:
– I don’t disagree with you. I have not been a promoter of it in the city council, said Johansen with a clear address to MDG, which governs both the environment and transport in Oslo.
2023-08-23 07:00:04
#Raymond #MDG #struggle #city #council
