Transport and communication in municipalities and county authorities, 2006

Norwegian counties´ total gross operating expenses for the transport and communication sector came to NOK 7.4 billion in 2005, an increase from 2004 of NOK 520 million. Expenses for the commercial modes of transport constituted NOK 5.6 billion. The remaining part, NOK 1.7 billion, was spent on the provincial roads. The municipalities' total gross operating expenses were NOK 3.2 billion of which 3.0 was spent on roads.Only NOK 8 million of the total increase in gross operating expenses were used on the provincial roads, compared to NOK 510 million used on the commercial modes of transport.

A gross operating expense of almost NOK 1,600 per inhabitant were spent by the "average county" in the transport and communication sector in 2005. The span was from NOK 690 in Vestfold to 3,180 in Sogn og Fjordane.

Low production

NOK 5.2 billion of the total gross operating expenses in the counties were used on purchasing services from the transport operators in 2005, an increase from 2004 of NOK 425 million. NOK 3.1 billion were used for services from the scheduled bus transport operators, compared to NOK 3.0 billion in 2004.

Stability in the number of passengers

392 million passengers were transported by commercial modes of transport in 2005, an increase of four million compared to 2004 (excluding transport by rail). Most of these travels were made in Oslo and the fewest in Finnmark, with 159 million and 3.5 million travels respectively. Also measured by the number of travels per inhabitants, Oslo was the dominating county with 295 travels per inhabitant in 2005, an increase from 292 in 2004. The average figure for the country as a whole was 84 travels, i.e. almost one travel every fourth day.

NOK 64,500 per kilometre provincial road

Nordland was the county with the highest gross operating expenses with NOK 200 million spent on provincial roads in 2004, a decrease of about 10 million from 2004. NOK 78,000 made up the operating expenses per kilometre provincial road in Nordland compared with the average figure for the country of NOK 64,500 kroner. Vestfold, Hordaland and Møre og Romsdal were on top with about NOK 83,000 in gross operating expenses per kilometre provincial road in 2005. The lowest figures per kilometre road were in Østfold and Hedmark, both with NOK 40,000 in 2005.

NOK 380 per inhabitant

Measured per inhabitant the counties' total gross operating expenses to the provincial roads constituted on average NOK 380 in 2005 as in 2004. Sogn og Fjordane was the county with the highest amount, NOK 960. The lowest expenses were in Akershus and Østfold, NOK 170 and 155 respectively per inhabitant.

Increase in investments in provincial roads

NOK 880 million were the total gross investments in provincial roads in 2005. This was an increase from 2004 of NOK 128 million. The most extensive investments in 2005 were made in Møre og Romsdal with NOK 110 million, a decrease from 2004 with NOK 30 million.

Local roads

The total gross operating expenses in all municipalities in the transport and communication sector constituted NOK 3.2 billion in 2005, an increase of about NOK 65 million from 2004. 94 per cent of these expenses were spent on the local roads. The total operating investments in the road sector came to NOK 2.1 billion in 2005. This was an increase from 2004 with NOK 390 billion.

The municipalities are responsible for the street lighting along the national and provincial roads in addition to the street lighting along the local roads. NOK 495 million were spent on lighting on these roads, an increase in expenditures of NOK 18 million from 2004.

12,350 kilometres, or 32 per cent of the local roads, had a speed limit of 40 km/hour or less. The number of marked parking spaces in connection with main roads to a city constituted 18,700 in 2005.

The figures presented in this article represent only a small contribution of the statistics in the area of transport and communication statistics. More details can be found on http://www.ssb.no/kostra_en/ .

Tables:

• Table 1 The transport and communication sector. Some main and key figures, by county. 2005