Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.07.2018, Síða 12

12 The Reykjavík Grapevine

WHALES, PUFFINS & REYKJAVÍK
May
10:00, 14:00
June
10:00, 12:00
14:00, 16:00
20:00
July & August
10:00, 11:00
12:00, 13:00
14:00, 15:00
16:00, 20:00
Price: 21.990 ISK
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PRICE
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0-6 YEARS: FREE6.500
1ST OF MAY - 31ST OF MAY
1ST OF JUNE - 20TH OF AUGUST
MINIMUM HEIGHT & AGE:
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UP TO 13 DAILY DEPARTURES
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Last issue, we reported that residents
of the east Reykjavík neighbourhood of
Hlíðar were experiencing difficulties on
account of many tour buses taking up
space on Skógarhlíð, a residential street.
There are a few companies who use the
space, all of whom contend they have
every legal right to use the area.
Be that as it may, even if it is all
perfectly legal, there is still clearly a
problem. Residents in the area say
these companies park on sidewalks, and
photos posted on social media back that
up. The residents also complain that
these companies offload huge groups of
noisy tourists at all hours, when people
are trying to sleep, and narrow the
passage for cars and cyclists by parking
a long row of buses along the side of the
street.
So even when the law is being obeyed
to the letter, sometimes the law isn’t
enough. City authorities have long strug-
gled to maintain a balance between the
needs of the tour bus companies and the
needs of the locals.
A rocky start
How did we get to this point? Icelandic
capitalism is decidedly laissez-faire; we
tend to let markets regulate themselves
unless (or until) things reach a crisis
point. Iceland’s tourism boom began to
take off in earnest in 2010, in the wake
of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption. Within
a few years, tour buses struggling to
maneuver through downtown Reyka-
jvík’s narrow streets were a common
sight, bringing with them additional
noise, pollution, and traffic snarls. In
January 2014, a proposal was submit-
ted to the Environmental and Planning
Committee of City Council to remedy
the situation by creating a “no-go zone”
for tour buses that encompassed most
of downtown.
So far, so good. However, there were a
couple of problems with this regulation
from the get-go.
For one, only buses longer than eight
metres were prohibited from down-
town. This meant that smaller shuttles
— nonetheless far larger than a private
passenger vehicle — were still permit-
ted. More importantly, these regulations
were based on an honour system; there
were no fines of any kind proposed for
infractions, and so there were no conse-
quences.
Change is glacial
As could be expected, disturbances
between tour buses and locals contin-
ued. Incidents such as buses completely
blocking city streets were even captured
on video, and this caught the attention
of city authorities.
“[These buses] are clearly breaking
the established agreement that is in
effect and has for the most part been
respected,” Hjálmar Sveinsson, the
chairperson of the Environmental and
Planning Committee at the time, told
RÚV in 2015. “It is of course unbearable.
It’s a sign that tourism, as it’s develop-
ing, is pushing residents out of the city.”
Things didn’t get better
By 2016, locals and tour bus operators
were not infrequently having conflicts.
Vísir reported at that time that tour bus
drivers had gotten in numerous argu-
ments with Reykjavík residents down-
town over blocked traffic, crowded
sidewalks and noise during the boarding
and offloading of tourists. Residents and
drivers alike expressed concerns that
Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photo:
Halldór Bragason
&
Art Bicnick
Whose City Is It?
Tour buses and locals struggle
to find harmony
In the days before the bus "no-go zone" was enacted.