“The road through Þingvellir national park should be closed”

Þingvellir is a part of the Golden Circle and a …

Þingvellir is a part of the Golden Circle and a popular destination. Photo: Iceland Monitor/Ómar Óskarsson

The roads of the Golden Circle, where Icelandic gems such as Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir and Þingvellir national park are to be found, are in a bad state.

Council of Bláskógabyggð municipality, which the Golden Circle is a part of, says there is only a matter of time a great accident will occur there as the road condition is far from acceptable, according to RÚV [link in Icelandic].

The municipality’s council says the state needs to increase funds for road work in the area considerably. The situation as it is now is not acceptable.

Many accidents in recent months

“The reason [for the demand] are number of recent accidents in Bláskógabyggð, and the condition of the roads. The system has crashed and we are just waiting for a large accident. A bus will topple over, or some other accident,” says Helgi Kjartansson, chairman of the municipality council.

They say the state’s prioritising in matters of road repairs is simply wrong, safety of both locals and tourists is at stake. “The roads are in Þingvellir national park have been used up, and really it ought to be closed. I think it would be the best.”

The road has sagged in several places and the verge of the road isn’t all that stable. As there are both big buses and small cars with inexperienced drivers, Kjartansson believes that at the speed limit should be lowered if nothing else will be done.

Some of the busiest rural roads in Iceland

There are more cars that pass in the area than in most of the nr. 1 ring road. There are more cars that pass through Mosfellsheiði, which leads from Reykjavik to Þingvellir national Park than Holtavörðuheiði, which connects North and South Iceland. In accordance, the roads need more maintenance.

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