various banks to receive financial guarantees for the Triangle Link, and by February sufficient funding had been secured. From 1988, environmentalists started actively opposing the Triangle Link. The most active was the local chapter of the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature, which stated that the road would have serious consequences for the local boat traffic to the recreational islands of Føyno and Nautøy. Instead, they recommended that the municipalities chose a pontoon bridge. An action group was established. Hallgeir Matre stated that Stord had a lack of beaches and that the two islands "were the last low, forested islands in the area after the paradise Eldøyane had been converted to an industrial area for Aker Stord during the 1970s". He further stated that environmentalists were skeptical to floating bridges, but that in this case it would be the lesser of two evils. The Stord Society for the Conservation of Nature applied for municipal grants to make a critical report, but this was rejected by the majority of the municipal council. By June, a new chapter had been established on Bømlo, and the group stated that it was irresponsible to build a link which would result in a massive increase in car use. Future In Our Hands started a petition which collected 1,600 signatures. A poll from 1990 showed that in Stord, 35 percent were in favor of the project, while 36.7 percent were opposed, given that the ferry service was improved, among other things with night ferries and increased comfort. Another opponent to the project was the Action Committee Against a Hasty Construction of the Triangle Link, who wanted to delay the decision until after the 1991 municipal elections to ensure that the municipal councils had backing in the public. Gisle Tjong was another opponent, who stated that the risk in the project was large and that it was uncertain how long the tolls would last: they could just as well last 60 as 15 years. Instead, he wanted to use advanced tolls and fuel fees, place the income in the bank and then pay the whole fixed link with the accumulated funds. Most of the opposition against the project was from Stord, while in Bømlo there was overwhelming support. However, in southern Bømlo there were concerns that they would lose their ferry, as they would have a much longer rout to Haugesund via the Triangle Link. Some