Þingvellir National Park has seen a dramatic growth in traffic over the past few years, threatening to seriously erode the quality of visitors’ experience in the park, according to park authorities. In an effort to control the problem park authorities, the Road Administration and Police in South Iceland will install traffic cameras in the park to catch speeders.
The speed limit in Þingvellir National Park is 50 km/h (31 mph). Ólafur Haraldsson, the director of the park, told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that too many motorists refuse to observe this speed limit. “Drivers don’t observe the speed limit, which has transformed the sound in the park. During the day the serenity and quiet is repeatedly destroyed with the sound of roaring engines and tires tearing up the asphalt.”
Read more: Number of tourists visiting Þingvellir National Park increased by 77 percent in ten years
The current road through the national park was designed and constructed in the 1970s, when traffic was only a fraction of what it is now. Ólafur tells Morgunblaðið that while roads leading to the park, from South West, West and South Iceland, have all been improved in recent years the road leading through the park has not. “The road through the park was neither designed for this level of traffic, nor the weight of the cars which regularly use the road now.”
The park authorities are currently working with the Road Administration on making the road safer and bringing down traffic speed. The primary goal is to protect the lava field, vegetation and the peace and quiet of the park. Traffic cameras which enforce the speed limit are among the best options.
Þingvellir National Park has seen a dramatic growth in traffic over the past few years, threatening to seriously erode the quality of visitors’ experience in the park, according to park authorities. In an effort to control the problem park authorities, the Road Administration and Police in South Iceland will install traffic cameras in the park to catch speeders.
The speed limit in Þingvellir National Park is 50 km/h (31 mph). Ólafur Haraldsson, the director of the park, told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that too many motorists refuse to observe this speed limit. “Drivers don’t observe the speed limit, which has transformed the sound in the park. During the day the serenity and quiet is repeatedly destroyed with the sound of roaring engines and tires tearing up the asphalt.”
Read more: Number of tourists visiting Þingvellir National Park increased by 77 percent in ten years
The current road through the national park was designed and constructed in the 1970s, when traffic was only a fraction of what it is now. Ólafur tells Morgunblaðið that while roads leading to the park, from South West, West and South Iceland, have all been improved in recent years the road leading through the park has not. “The road through the park was neither designed for this level of traffic, nor the weight of the cars which regularly use the road now.”
The park authorities are currently working with the Road Administration on making the road safer and bringing down traffic speed. The primary goal is to protect the lava field, vegetation and the peace and quiet of the park. Traffic cameras which enforce the speed limit are among the best options.
