It’s official, according to a new report on transportation planning, Reykjavík is an automobile city with 88% of all trips being made by private automobiles. Morgunbladid reports that compared to other cities in Scandinavia, Reykjavík is in a league of it’s own when it comes to automobiles.
From 1995 – 2004, there was a 33% increase in automobile ownership in the city. In 2002, 76% of all trips in the capital were made by private cars compared to 88% now. Only 4% of all trips are by public buses while people either walk or bike 19% of the time.
Most journeys to and from work take place during rush hour and 88% are by private cars. Traffic peaks just before 8 am and 9 am in the morning when people head to work.
The proportion of trips made on foot, by bicycle or by public transportation was lower in Reykjavík than in all other European cities with which it was compared to in the study.
2005 was a record year for automobile imports, increasing 50% from the year before.
