The plan aims to balance residents' need for quiet with young people's interests, according to Mayor Siri Blichfeldt Dyrland. She acknowledged that a small group is responsible for the worst noise and that the situation has not been fully controlled. The measures include public meetings, dialogue, night patrols, and traffic education.
However, the night patrol scheme has not worked as intended due to a lack of volunteers, Dyrland said. The plan also explores creating facilities like a repair workshop where noise may be less problematic. The youth council has been involved in the work.
I think some of the measures are a bit excessive. Much is made out of nothing.
Kamilla Skree, a 16-year-old who regularly participates in cruising gatherings, told NRK Vestfold og Telemark that the cruising community was not asked to contribute to the plan. She described some measures, such as noise meters and closing parking lots, as excessive, and noted that only a few individuals with powerful car audio cause problems. Skree is skeptical about a designated cruising area, saying the tradition is tied to the center of Bø.
She expressed willingness to meet halfway on some measures but not extreme ones. Dyrland emphasized that politicians do not want a dead center without young people and said the core issue is loud car audio that rattles windows.
There are some people with really good audio systems that play out of the car and into buildings, where it shakes. There are a few of them, but they ruin it for everyone else.
We haven't quite managed to get that situation under control. So I think it's good that we have come together and made an action plan that consists of many different measures.
When it works, it is a very important part of Bø center that there are safe adults. Who are not police, who are just supposed to be nice and be present if there is a need for it.
We want to show young people that we want to take care of them.
There are many possibilities.
I and many others are willing to meet halfway. That we can do a few measures, but not too extreme ones.
It's the car audio and the noise that makes glass rattle that is the problem. If we could just do something about that, then the problem would be almost solved.