New Rules On Tour Buses In The Works

What were once voluntarily guidelines will soon become binding rules when it comes to tour buses in downtown Reykjavík.

MBL reports that Reykjavík mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson will meet with the capital area police tomorrow to discuss the matter. Numerous complaints, some of them making the news, of tour buses blocking narrow streets have made their way up through City Hall, and now a proposal has been made to deal with the problem.

According to the city proposal, any vehicles longer than 8 metres long will be banned from an area of downtown bordered by Barónsstígur, Eiríksgata, Njarðargata, Sóleyjargata, Fríkirkjuvegur, Lækjargata and Hverfisgata. The only exceptions to this rule will be fire trucks, garbage trucks, and trucks owned by the city of Reykjavík.

If the police approve the proposal, it could go into effect immediately.

As reported, numerous tour buses have been caught – sometimes on video – blocking narrow streets, letting tourists off where buses are forbidden from disembarking, or otherwise flouting guidelines put in place last year.

Establish January 2014, the guidelines were approved by the city’s Environmental and Planning Committee. However, as there are no fines nor penalties for breaking the guidelines, many tour bus operators are ignoring them.