Record-smashing pedestrian and cycling tunnel is a real bore
The Norwegians are among the most boring people on Earth. But I mean that in an entirely admiring sense.
I’m talking about tunnels. Really long tunnels that bore their way relentlessly through the mountains of Norway that rise above and between its nearly 1200 fjords (take that, New Zealand).
Fyllingsdalstunnelen, the world’s longest bicycle and pedestrian tunnel.
Norway’s 24.5-kilometre Lærdalstunnelen is the world’s longest road vehicle tunnel, linking Oslo and Bergen, the Nordic nation’s two biggest cities, meaning car ferries are not necessary.
Earlier this year the bicycle-loving burghers of Bergen set another boring record when they opened Fyllingsdalstunnelen, the world’s longest dedicated bicycle and pedestrian tunnel.
Three kilometres long, it scarcely compares with Lærdalstunnelen, but coming from a nation with a penny farthing-era mindset when it comes to public cycling - save for the odd Tour de France stage winner - I’m wildly impressed.
Fyllingsdalstunnelen was carved through Bergen’s 477-metre high Lovstakken, one of seven peaks surrounding this picturesque and relaxed city on Norway’s fjord-studded west coast.
Laerdalstunnelen - an example of Norway’s masterful tunnel vision.Credit: Alamy
The new tunnel reduced the popular two-wheeled Fyllingsdalen (the Bergen suburb after which the tunnel is named) to central Bergen commute by about 5.5 kilometres, saving cyclists about 20 minutes, and making the ride far more tolerable in the icy and snowy winter.
As it happens, I’m in Bergen at the beginning of a 15-day cruise aboard the ocean-going Viking Jupiter, part of the Norwegian-founded Viking cruise line, between here and Stockholm.
I’m keen to try the new tunnel while I’m here, even though to get to it from the ship - berthed close to Bryggen, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed old Hanseatic League wharf precinct with its row of historic, and historically fire-prone, timber warehouses - it’ll be a ride of about 45 minutes, sans stops.
Bryggen, the old area of Bergen.Credit: Alamy
Studying a map supplied by the nearby Bergen Bike Rent, where I hire an e-bike for a half-a-day, I can see that the ride to Fyllingsdalstunnelen is going to be a worthwhile way to experience this scenic city, a little reminiscent of Hobart, Tasmania and Wellington, New Zealand.
Pushing off with the Google maps app opened on my smartphone, I pedal through the compact city centre in the direction of Bergen’s main commuter cycle path beginning at its main city park dominated by a white swan-filled, ornamental lake.
To get to Fyllingsdalen, I need to pedal across one of the quartet of bridges spanning the city’s inner-harbour and then pass through the mostly prosaic, though mercifully flat, Bergen burbs.
Soon enough, or so it seems, I make it to Fyllingsdalstunnelen. Plunge straight in, it’s lit in fancy, lolly-like neon, like many a state-of-the-art road vehicle tunnel, with the ride, end-to-end, taking an average of 10 minutes or so.
Alongside the concrete cycle path is blue rubber flooring, laid for runners.Credit: Getty Images
Barely the only cyclist in the 100 surveillance camera-fitted Fyllingsdalstunnelen post-peak hour, three kilometres on a bike, even an electric one and at my leisurely pace, feels a lot longer compared to being in a vehicle.
Alongside the concrete cycle path is blue rubber flooring, laid for runners, with arty rock seating scattered beside the tunnel’s length. Halfway along the tunnel widens to accommodate a roundabout of sorts framed by a Technicolor sculpture, a sundial-like art installation, sans any outside sun. A group of Norwegian preschool children, with adult charges ensuring they don’t stray into the path of the bikes, are enjoying morning tea on the seating under the sculpture.
Fyllingsdalstunnelen was originally conceived as a parallel evacuation tunnel for a light rail track that runs behind the concrete wall on the other side.
Then someone had the decidedly bright idea that the emergency route could be used for bicycles and pedestrians.
It reveals a lot about how much the Norwegians, and for that matter, all the other Nordic nations, value cycling and how willing they are to invest in it.
Keep on being boring my dear Norwegians.
Anthony Dennis visited Norway as a guest of Viking Cruises.
THE DETAILS
CRUISE
Viking Cruises’ 15-day “Viking Homelands” voyage from Bergen to Stockholm and vice versa starts from $9595 a person with a $2000 flight credit a couple. There are departures between May and August in 2024, and April to August, 2025. See viking.com.au
FLY
Qatar Airways flies from Sydney to Oslo and Stockholm via its jDoha hub. From Oslo consider taking the world famous scenic railway to Bergen. See viking.com.au; qatarairways.com
RIDE
Bergen Bike Rent has standard bikes for hire from $42 for a half-day. Bikes are permitted on Bergen’s trams outside of busy times and at an additional charge. See bergenbikerent.no; skyss.no
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