A project board appointed by the Minister of Infrastructure, Eyjólfur Ármannsson, has started work to strengthen active travel in Iceland, Vísir reported. The board is tasked with supporting the rollout of measures aimed at making it easier and safer for people to walk, cycle, and use other forms of non-motorised transport, according to an announcement from the Government of Iceland.
The role of the board is to prioritise key actions, follow up on progress, and support the implementation of measures designed to promote active travel, the Government of Iceland said. Its work builds on recommendations from a working group that, in June 2025, presented a draft policy addressing both active travel and micromobility. This draft policy subsequently formed the basis for the new Transport Plan for 2026–2040, adopted by Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, during summer 2026.
The measures planned are grouped under three main objectives. One goal is to improve mutual understanding and respect between users of different travel modes. The actions proposed include upgrading infrastructure, strengthening winter service, harmonising design standards and planning, and bolstering education and information about active travel.
Other proposals before the board include economic incentives for active travel, carrying out analysis projects, and creating a travel policy for public workplaces. The intention is for as many of these measures as possible to be put into practice before the end of 2028.
Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir, nominated by the Ministry of Infrastructure, is the chair of the project board. Other members are Valgerður Gréta Benediktsdóttir, also nominated by the Ministry of Infrastructure; Bryndís Friðriksdóttir, nominated by the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (Vegagerðin); Finnur Ricart Andrason, nominated by an association of local authorities (Samband íslenskra sveitarfélaga; ‘sveitarfélag’ is Icelandic for ‘a municipality’); and Gunnar Geir Gunnarsson, nominated by the Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa).
Sources
- Stjórnarráð Íslands (Government of Iceland) in Icelandic
- mbl.is in Icelandic
Image: BruceMcAdam / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · licence, original (resized) Illustrative image.
