– We find it unpleasant to see it. But confronting them will be even worse – both for them and for us.
That’s what Lise Myrnes says to Dagbladet. She lives in Ersfjordbotn on Kvaløya in Tromsø, one of several places that tourists have really caught their eye on in Northern Norway.
But according to Myrne, public toilets are in short supply.
It was in Tromsø who first mentioned the matter.
Clear warning: – Becomes very dangerous
– Not good at all
Then the bus shelter, which is located around 50 meters from Myrnes’ house, has become a place where tourists hang out.
– We worked on the issue a few years ago, in the hope of getting public toilets, but it’s probably not a priority in any way. It’s not good at all, says Myrnes.
This incident has sparked outrage on social media. Reporter: Helena Ringheim / Dagbladet TV Show more
The photo of the person squatting in the bus shelter was taken on Saturday. Myrnes says that it happens “many times a year”, and according to neighbours, it has already happened several times this year. And when asked what it looks like in the bus shelter, the answer is uninviting:
– There is both paper and faeces there.
In a reply, the municipality writes that they see the problem as serious. Read their response further down in the case.
BUS SHED: This is what it looks like in the bus shelter. Photo: Private Show more
Two miles away
There has been an explosion of tourism in Northern Norway, and there are only more and more, says Myrnes. Three or four years ago it really took off, but the infrastructure in the districts has not improved much – at least not on Kvaløya – the northerner is to be believed.
– It’s also understandable, she says about the tourists resorting to the bus shelter, and continues:
– When the need is greatest, it finds a way out, she says and laughs.
The nearest toilet is a cafe in the village – which is only open during the day. Otherwise, according to Myrnes, you have to drive to a petrol station at Kvaløysletta – around two miles away.
The picture of the tourist in the bus shelter was shared in a group with the village’s population, to tell them that the public toilet issue should be resumed. Myrnes has now transferred the matter to the development team in Ersfjordbotn, an interest association for the local environment, which will put the matter on the agenda.
– Everyone in the village reacts to it. I have passed the ball over to the development team, who will probably bring it up in a meeting.
Travelogue from the north: No joke
– Serious
Carl Joacim Fensbekk, head of the unit for parks, sports and outdoor activities in Tromsø municipality, says that they are aware of the problem and receive feedback from the locals as cases occur.
– Tromsø municipality sees the problem as serious, and we think it is very inappropriate that the locals in Ersfjordbotn experience tourists going to the toilet in their backyard, he writes in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
He points out that there has been a large increase in the flow of tourists to Tromsø in recent years.
– Several of the local places are not sized for this type of tourism, which can create such challenges.
As of today, there is no concrete plan for the establishment of a public toilet in Ersfjorden, he further states.
Sigrid Mogård Jansen, head of the section for society, innovation and industry in Tromsø municipality, says that they have been working for a long time to introduce a visitor’s contribution.
– And as our mayor commented Northern Lights yesterday, we want to build infrastructure for the growing tourism. It will be able to help solve precisely such challenges as this one, she says.
2024-02-01 15:15:41
#face #good
