Here is our cute little Volkswagon Polo.
In North America, it would be called a Rabbit. I think it’s considered ‘smallish’ no matter where ever you go. John leased it for the year; it comes with 2 sets of tires, full insurance, and maintenance. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with an automatic transmission. That means John will be the sole driver since there’s a lot of years between me and my last stick. I guess there’s been the same number of years between John and his last stick, but he’s not allowed t0 express any fear or apprehension with regard to driving. One of us has to man up.
I might (and I mean that in the smallest possible sense) have considered driving the stick shift in Norway except for two things: Stavanger is hilly…mountain goat worthy in some places, and the cost of getting a driver’s license is insane! I don’t want to drive badly enough to go through all the hassle and expense. The public transportation here is safe, frequent, and the coverage is excellent. You can’t spit but hit a bus stop.
John is about to start the process of changing his license over to a Norwegian one. We checked into the process a while ago, and even though this is not to be taken as gospel re: the rules and regulations….my interpretation of them goes something like this….
People from the EU and one or two other countries can do a straight exchange of driver’s license without any testing. People on a short list of countries such as Canada and the U.S. can exchange their licenses, but have to do a road test. Everyone else has to complete a Norwegian driver’s training course, just as if you were a brand new driver starting out in Norway. “Trafikkskoler”….driving schools are everywhere! It’s a very big business because you can’t take your teenagers down to Motor Vehicle to get a learner’s and then teaching him or her how to drive. Before they can get in a car, they have to take 4 days of classes on rules of the road, emergency situations, and first aid/CPR. Everyone has to attend ‘trafikkskole’. John says it costs about $10,000 to get licensed for the first time, from scratch. I really think they want to keep people taking the bus as long as possible. They must have financing plans.
John has a Canadian license so he is able to do an exchange with a road test only…if he flunks the road test, it’s my understanding that he gets busted back to the full meal deal…..classroom and a minimum number of hours behind the wheel with an instructor. He can drive on his Canadian license for 3 months in Norway. He has up to a year in which to make the exchange of turning in the Canadian license for a Norwegian one, after that he loses the privilege of skipping the theory tests and avoiding the driver ed classes. He was a bit confused by that at first, he thought since he had a one year grace period for the exchange, that meant he could drive….but he can’t…his Canadian license is not valid in Norway 3 months from the date he entered the country.
The driving schools set up the appointment with the police for the driving test. John finally called one…he’s got one month to go until he’s hoofin’ it to the bus stop. He found out that the soonest appointment for a driving test was in mid-May, but an extension is possible. (We hope!) He got some information about costs. He’ll get a 90 minute lesson in a dual control car with an instructor and the use of a dual control car for his test (a requirement here). The school will book him and take him to his appointment at the police station. It will cost about $2000! And he didn’t think to get that added to his contract prior to signing. Hopefully, his employer will reimburse it.
They definitely won’t reimburse mine so I’m going to forgo the switch. I can take the bus where I want to go (or walk), and save my $2000 for many pairs of nice comfy shoes. I can picture me attempting the exchange, and the road test, not passing….thereby wasting my $2000, and then being in the position of having to shell out 5 times that amount in order finally get a license….by which time we’ll probably be moving! I’m a bit of a gambler but still! John says I could take the test in an automatic vehicle, but over here that means I am not allowed to drive a stick….so, there just isn’t any point.
At least I won’t have to worry about constantly looking to my right as I drive.
Section 7 Rule # 2 from the Norwegian Rules of the Road….“Drivers have an obligation to give way to vehicles approaching from the right.” If the road you are traveling on doesn’t have a golden diamond symbol along it, then there are no yield or stop signs where smaller roads are intersecting it. Essentially, people entering the roadway from your right are not going to stop and look to see if anyone is coming before they enter the road. They’re just going to breeze on through, and it’s up to you to watch for them, spot them, and then yield as they turn onto the road. It’s freaky! John is getting used to it, but I’m still gasping half the time. I think it’s the dumbest rule ever, but maybe it’s designed to slow people down…and it works for that. You can’t go humming along at the speed limit without paying attention to what’s happening around you. The rest of the rules are here.
None of the above sounds like any fun. I can’t honestly say I feel any loss of independence not being able to drive….odd since it used to kind of upset me not to have a car in the driveway. And there are alternatives....
***John dropped by the motor vehicle office on Monday and turned in his Canadian license for a temporary Norwegian one. He has 3 months to complete his preparation and get a full Norwegian license. The process has begun!!***
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