The opposition criticized the new transport plan yesterday, which Minister of Transport Sturla Bödvarsson introduced earlier this week. They believe it is unrealistic and designed to win votes.
“We are talking about the future, which is secured by this transport plan,” Bödvarsson said in parliament yesterday. He plans to improve the transport system in Iceland by 2018 with a budget of ISK 380 billion (EUR 4.3 billion, USD 5.6 billion). Fréttabladid reports.
Kristinn H. Gunnarsson, MP for the Liberal Party, said that budget does not coincide with the government’s plan to put ISK 400 billion (EUR 4.5 billion, USD 5.9 billion) into dams and heavy industry in the same time period.
Bödvarsson said there is nothing about the nation’s economy that casts doubt on his plan and that he is certain his goal can be achieved by 2018, which includes six new tunnels, broadening the Ring Road and lengthening air strips at two domestic airports.
Leader of the Social Democrats Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir said the plan demonstrates how much work has to be done to improve the transport system in Iceland, which in her opinion should be a priority.
But, she said, such plans were not realistic unless plans regarding the construction of dams and heavy industry operations were dropped.
