1540

News

Øresund Bridge has banner year for car traffic

Christian Wenande
January 4th, 2018


This article is more than 6 years old.

Elsewhere, Denmark also eyeing record highs in cruise ship traffic

The poor weather has been a boon for Øresund Bridge traffic (photo: Pixabay)

According to traffic statistics released today by Øresundsbro Konsortiet, the owners of the Øresund Bridge link, last year was a record one in terms of car traffic.

The figures reveal that 7,530,255 vehicles passed over Øresund Bridge in 2017 – the highest number of trips in its history, breaking the previous record, which was 7,424,000 in 2016.

“We see an increase in interest from Danes and Swedes to cross over the Sound in their spare time and utilise our good offers,” said Fredrik Jenfjord, the head of marketing for Øresundsbro Konsortiet.

“The summer of 2017 was good, in terms of weather, and many chose to cross the Sound rather than lie on the beach.”

Jenfjord went on to contend that the low value of the Swedish kroner has made the trip more attractive for Danes, pointing out that both nationalities crossed the bridge to get their Christmas shopping done.

READ MORE: Finally! New Nordhavn road gets the green light

Denmark cruising
In related news, Danish harbours are expected to welcome a record number of cruise ship guests in 2018.

With over 1.1 million guests expected this year, Denmark has never been as popular among the cruise ship industry as it is currently and this year is expected to bring even more astounding results.

Copenhagen, which is also poised for a record year, will enjoy a cruise ship season that will last 215 days this year, significantly longer than before. With 875,000 guests anticipated, Copenhagen is emerging as one of northern Europe’s most important destinations for cruise ship tourism.

Other Danish destinations expected to drastically increase their number of cruise ship guests are Aarhus, Skagen, Helsingør, Bornholm and Kalundborg. For the first time ever, every fifth cruise ship guest will arrive in ports outside of Copenhagen.

“Denmark is facing its best ever year for cruise ship tourism, and it’s not only Copenhagen that will reap the benefits,” said Claus Bødker, the head of cruise ships for tourism organisation, Wonderful Copenhagen.

“The new year will undeniably underline that the entire nation has jumped on-board and breached the international market. With our many harbour cities with their own individual offerings of experiences, Denmark has great potential for cruise ships.”


Share

Most popular

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive The Daily Post

















Latest Podcast

A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”