The Swedish Transport Administration wants to lower the speed limits on just over thirty-four miles of road in Sweden.

A large part of that stretch is in the county.

It is the E14 between Blåberget west of Sundsvall and Gällö in Jämtland that the Swedish Transport Administration considers to be too unsafe to allow higher speeds.

At just over eleven miles of the road section, they want to lower the speed limit to 80 km / h.

Claims security reasons

It is on roads with a lot of traffic, high speeds and lack of central separation that the Swedish Transport Administration wants to reduce speeds.

80 km / h is considered to be the maximum speed level where two passenger cars of the highest safety standard can withstand a collision without too serious consequences.

"Not acceptable"

The proposal for reduced speeds has now been sent out for consultation and the Social Democrats in both Västernorrland and Jämtland have already reacted strongly to the Swedish Transport Administration's proposal.

- It is not acceptable to lower the speed limit on E14, which is a transport artery for both people and companies that live and work between Sundsvall and Storlien, says Bodil Hansson, chairman of the Social Democrats in Västernorrland and chairman of the municipal board in Sundsvall in a press release.

Want to pave the way

The party believes that the Swedish Transport Administration should leave the proposal in the drawer and instead refurbish the E14.

- Improved traffic safety must be achieved by making our roads in general and the E14 in particular better through, for example, central row separation, game fences and safer intersections.

Not through a measure that affects people and business so negatively, says Anna-Caren Sätherberg, chairman of the Social Democrats Jämtland County and Member of Parliament in the same press release.

"It provokes me"

The Moderates' man in the Riksdag is also behind the opposition to the Swedish Transport Administration's plans. 

- It provokes me extremely things like this, it makes it worse for people to live outside large urban areas, says Jörgen Berglund (M), Member of Parliament for P4 Västernorrland.

This is not the first time the Swedish Transport Administration wants road users on the E14 to lighten their gas. In 2016, for example, we reported on the same proposal, and the same objections.