A hiking trail will be built along Gauselvågen!

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Thus, a new regulatory plan must be adopted in order to move forward. It is a shame, but perhaps not surprising, that those with the most money turn out to have more power than other citizens when it comes to encroaching on private property.

Rødt and SV were the only parties in the municipal council that voted against entering into a settlement with landowners in the area over an alternative route. We feared that this would be used to train the process, and we were right, as the Court of Appeal ruling shows. The issue is about to become a symbolic case of whether the power of money or democracy will rule the municipality!

The hiking trail along Gauselvågen is a project that has been in the works for a long time, and there have been countless runs with the landowners to find solutions. Objections have been raised again and again, whether it is about alternative routes, concerns about climate change and sea level rise, rare wading adequately settled in parks, or endless rounds of courts to decide what land values ​​should be based. It has become a parody! Those of us who want the footpath are accused of being motivated by envy towards those with large property by the sea. This is completely wrong. It is less about envy, than about a few individuals who bravely stand up to the powerful pressure of the commune. It is about those with the most money and the biggest gardens being able to hire lawyers and use the legal system to train and overturn democratically made decisions. Allegedly, letting people in would reduce the value of the property. But the walking path will add other values.

Hiking trails are a widely used good public health measure and provide exercise in everyday life. It is a goal for everyone in Stavanger to have a walking path near their home. Another goal is for hiking trails to provide nature experiences. Laying a hiking trail along the highway and railway to avoid disturbing the rich in Gauselvågen does not offer nature’s greatest experiences. It is also difficult to sympathize with those who complain that the new footpath will come “only” 30 meters from the living room window. Most of us have neighbors, traffic, and pedestrians much closer to our windows than that. I well understand that the rich in the city do not want the common people to trample on their property, imagine if we opened our eyes to what great class differences there really are in our municipality? In their world, seeing the sea and nature is a privilege that you have to pay for.

A public space that everyone can use freely is useful, among other things, for preschool children, schoolchildren and the elderly. Unfortunately, increasingly large parts of the beach area are privatized and therefore inaccessible to the general public. The walking path along Gauselvågen would be an action to counteract this. Rødt i Stavanger promises that we will work together to get a new hiking trail zoning plan approved, and implement it as soon as possible!