Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.03.2018, Qupperneq 54

What pissed people off?
After yet another warning to stay in-
doors due to high levels of air pollution,
many Icelanders have turned their criti-
cism to Reykjavík's car drivers.
Earlier this month, RÚV reported that
levels of air pollution in Reykjavík had
once again exceeded safe levels. This pol-
lution, comprised of dust and high levels
of carbon dioxide, is a direct result of car
traffic. In response, the City of Reykjavík
advised that children and those with re-
spiratory conditions avoid being outside,
especially near major roads.
Why did it piss people off?
While this is far from the first time the
city has issued such a warning, many
Icelanders have now questioned putting
the responsibility on pedestrians to stay
indoors, as opposed to asking car owners
to reduce their driving.
Jón K. Ágústsson, a planning expert
for Reykjavík, raised some troubling sta-
tistics about the matter on Twitter:
"Over 800,000 [car] trips per day are
killing me, you, our parents and our
children. No party running [for city
council] is offering plans of action to re-
duce this increase, and after a few years
it will be 1 million trips per day, killing
me, you, our parents and our children”
Numerous Icelanders have offered
similar sentiments across Facebook,
questioning the wisdom of telling peo-
ple to stay indoors. As Hildur Knútsdót-
tir put it:
"Crazy recommendation of the day:
pedestrians are told not to be outdoors
on a sunny day due to pollution, instead
of telling drivers who cause pollution
not to drive."
How did things resolve
themselves?
This topic is especially heated in the
run-up to this May's city council elec-
tions. While numerous parties support
a long-term project called Borgarlínan,
a mass transit system designed to ease
traffic and reduce pollution, the Inde-
pendence Party is against the idea, see-
ing it as an attack on car owners.
Air pollution in Reykjavík is a regu-
lar problem, especially on days when the
winds are light. Not only are Iceland-
ers very fond of cars, but the increase in
tourism brings with it increased traf-
fic, as more rental cars are added to the
daily traffic fleet. So any resolution in
this debate will have to wait until May.
ANGRY REACTS ONLY
CITY SHOT
by Art Bicnick
The Latest Geysers
Of Rage On Icelandic
Social Media
Air pollution in Reykjavík ignites
frustration with car drivers
Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photo:
Art Bicnick
54 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 04 — 2018
That's not a brown mountain
Shelter from the storm
WELL, YOU ASKED
Brawls 'n'
Girls
Grapevine’s official
advice column
Words: Paul Fontaine

Dear Grapevine, Any advice on how to
talk to Icelandic girls? - Hopeful
Dear Hopeful,
This is a question that comes up a lot,
in particular from hetero men who visit
the country. Contrary to what you might
think, Icelandic girls are not actually a
separate species from any other human
being and, as such, have the same desire
to be respected, listened to and appreci-
ated. So introduce yourself. Ask what’s
fun to do in town. Ask them about them-
selves. And above all, don’t be “that guy”
who just buys shot after shot in the hopes
of lowering her defences. It’s creepy as
fuck, and we see through that shit.
Ranking from most to least, what are
the top ten traditional places to have
a brawl in Reykjavik? How about the
countryside? - Purvis
Dear Purvis,
What is wrong with you? Why would
you even—never mind. You asked, so
here you go:
Downtown, the best places to get
in a fight begins with when you pick
a fight. Weekend nights are best. You
might try in the line to get into a club.
Just try cutting in front of someone, or
even gently but repeatedly nudging the
person in front of you. It won’t be long
before someone is willing to dance
with you.
In the countryside, Kef lavík is
somewhat notorious as a brawl town.
Likewise, you could go to Ísafjörður
and talk shit about how awesome
Reykjavík is. But overall, you can prob-
ably get your clock punched at any
given sveitarball (country dance) any-
where in the countryside. Remember
the movie Roadhouse, with Patrick
Swayze? They’re a bit like that. Just re-
member that in the countryside, you’re
outnumbered and don’t really have
anywhere to run. Good luck, cowboy.
Send your unsolvable (UNTIL NOW)
problems to editor@grapevine.is