No funding allocated for traffic safety at Streymin

No money is being allocated to address traffic safety at Streymin, a dangerous stretch of road, KVF reports. The speed limit has been cut from 80 to 60 km/h, and speed indicators have been installed, but the Road Safety Council says further measures may be needed.

On Monday, Jacob Vestergaard, the minister, answered a Section 52 question from Haraldur Símunarson Hammer about safety at Streymin. Vestergaard said some action had already been taken: the lower speed limit and indicators that display drivers’ speed and flash when they are travelling too fast.

Lovisa Glerfoss, director of the Road Safety Council, said the changes make a difference, but the road remains dangerous. She said the greatest challenge is at the junction on the Norðskáli side, where visibility is poorer. Drivers also tend to go slightly too fast, she said.

Options discussed for addressing the problem include replacing the junction with a roundabout or building an underpass so local traffic from Norðskáli and Oyrabakki would not have to join the main road.

Glerfoss said significant sums are spent on the road network and its expansion, but maintenance and safety measures on existing roads may sometimes be overlooked. She said balancing road safety with traffic flow is also a consideration.