A decision to cancel most parking spaces in the heart of Copenhagen, and these are the experts' concerns.
Drivers are finding it very difficult to park in the heart of Copenhagen around or near Strøget, the shopping, cafes and restaurants district known as the Walking Street, but this year it may become almost impossible to find a parking space in that area, after politicians on the Copenhagen Technical and Environmental Committee adopted a plan to eliminate 600 of the 1,050 parking spaces in that area.
During 2023, parking spaces will give way to wider sidewalks, bicycle paths and trees in the heart of Copenhagen in the area between Rådhuspladsen, Nørreport and Kongens Nytorv.
According to DR, Copenhagen's mayor for technology and environment, Line Barfoed, commented on the decision, saying: "We are doing this in order to have a peaceful medieval city, where people have first priority over cars, and at the same time it has a good effect in terms of the climate, due to fewer people driving their cars into the city center.".
The plan aims to preserve parking spaces for residents of the area, while visitors to the popular area will face difficulty in parking their cars there.
The motorists' organization Forenede Danske Motorejere (FDM) expressed concern that the problem would simply shift to the point where people would fight for spaces in the bridge areas instead of the bridge itself.
Shop owners in the KBH – Commerce & Culture Association also fear that shoppers with cars will abandon the shops in the medieval city in favor of shopping centers that offer parking.
Line Parfod does not believe the new plan decision will affect Strøget stores, and hopes that more shoppers will leave the car in the future and take a bicycle or public transport when they go shopping.
Bent Loman, chairman of the local Indre By committee, explains that residents of the medieval area who own a car fear that daily life with a car will become more difficult, because there is actually a shortage of parking spaces compared to the number of cars registered in the area, since even residents in central Copenhagen need their cars, he says.
Ron Nowak, head of transport policy for Danish industry, says that although the municipality has leased parking spaces in Israel Plads, there may still be a long way for many to get to the area, and when the plan is completed there will only be 450 parking spaces on the street, which residents will have to compete for with strangers.
He believes that for many people, public transport is not a true alternative to the car in everyday life.
As part of the plan, there will be more commercial parking spaces such as freight vans at a rate of 10%.
