Ben Hamilton
May 4th, 2022

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Not a damning report, but room for improvement (photo: flickr/Sonderborg.dk)

Teachers and daycare workers in the capital are taking considerably more sick days off than other municipal workers, according to City Hall figures. 

In general, the figures for sick days among Copenhagen Municipality employees last year, which did not include time off due to corona, were high. 

Its employees averaged 11.9 sick days in 2020, and this figure rose to 13.5 days last year – the highest in over a decade. In 2011, the figure hit 13.7. 

Profession struggling with numbers
It is hoped that new guidelines stipulating improved educator-student ratio limits in the nurseries (one to three), kindergartens (one to six) and grades 0-2 (one to 26) will improve the situation among educators.

However, the daycare profession will struggle to recruit the necessary numbers. In 2021, there were just 5,644 applicants to take a pedagogical education – down 22 percent from 7,195 in 2016.

The pedagogical workers union BUPL estimates 14,000 extra pedagogical staff will be needed nationwide by 2030 to cover the new requirements.

New green traffic road being piloted in Nørrebro
Stefansgade, a Nørrebro road that many motorists use to take a shortcut in the area around Jagtvej, is being closed off to petrol and diesel cars. The city mayor for technology and the environment, Line Barfod, is hopeful that ‘green traffic roads’ like Stefansgade will have a positive effect, encouraging more people to walk or cycle – particularly during rush hour. Admittance to Stefansgade, which runs parallel to Jagtvej, is possible if your car does not run on fossil fuels. 

Transport minister to address major Lynetteholm concerns on May 12
The dumping of sludge in Køge Bay will cease, reveals the transport minister, Trine Bramsen, ahead of May 12 talks concerning the construction of Lynetteholm, an artificial island in Copenhagen Harbour, which one day will host a new city district. Sweden’s government registered its dismay at the proposed dumping of 2.3 million tonnes of sludge taken from the seabed near Nordhavn – removals necessary to build the foundations on which the island will stand. Since then, doubts have been expressed about the science behind the environmental impact report – another matter that will be addressed in the talks involving Bramsen. 

Giraffe gives birth at Copenhagen Zoo. Already six feet tall, it’s easy to spot!
An unattended giraffe in Copenhagen Zoo gave birth to its seventh calf on Saturday night. No staff were present, which is just as well as a few hours of undisturbed bonding is necessary for the giraffes to flourish. Both calf and mother are reported to be well. Visitors might be able to get a glimpse of the new arrival as new-born giraffes are easy to spot: they tend to be around six feet tall! The calf will be named within the next week.

Magasin boots out Ecco
The Magasin department store, whose flagship outlet towers over Kongens Nytorv near Nyhavn, has decided to remove all Ecco products from its shelves in light of the Danish shoe company’s decision to continue operating in Russia. Webshops Boozt and Miinto have also chosen to end their collaborations with Ecco, as well as the Sport24 chain, which has 96 stores in Denmark. In total, Ecco generated 1.4 billion kroner of its 8.1 billion annual sales in Russia in 2020.

Speed limits reduced on major roads in capital
Copenhagen Police has given its approval to City Hall plans to reduce the speed limit on certain major roads in the capital from 60 to 50 km/hour. Among them are Tuborgvej, Lersø Park Allé and Universitetsparken. The mayor for technology and the environment, Line Barfod, said she was pleased that the reductions would help traffic become greener and safer – not least by reducing noise pollution and the number of accidents. Funds were set aside in the 2022 budget to implement speed reductions across the city, and the plans are also part of the 2018-23 Action Plan for Road Noise.

CIS students contribute to girls’ urban space geared towards young teens
Students from two schools in Nordhavn, including Copenhagen International School, have been heavily involved in the design of a new 1,500 sqm urban space in the district catering to girls aged 13-15, which will open at the end of 2023. It is contended that teenage girls too often become spectators to boys’ activities, mostly ball games, in most urban spaces earmarked for adolescents, so the new area will focus on activities favoured by girls. Female teenage students from CIS and Randersgade School were asked what would draw them to such a park, which will be located near Orientkaj Metro and the Harbour Bus stop. The result is areas for dancing and training, trampolines, flowers and other vegetation, a meandering piece of wooden furniture, diverse lighting and a large mirror. The park has been likened to a ‘green living room’.

Copenhagen Marathon all set for first running since 2019
Following cancellations in 2020 and 2021, the running of the Copenhagen Marathon on March 15 will be the first race in three years. Some 11,000 runners have registered to take part, including a record number from abroad: around 50 percent of the field. Organiser Sparta Athletics & Running attributed the high number to Denmark being one of the first countries to lift corona restrictions. Overall, 90 different nationalities will be represented in the race. Nevertheless, there were 2,000 more participants in 2019. As many as 100,000 spectators are expected to line up along the route.

Insurers face hefty cost to rebuild Vanløse block destroyed by fire
The bill for rebuilding the apartment block destroyed by fire in Vanløse on March 25 will come to 200-300 million kroner, according to Købstædernes Forsikring, one of the companies that insured the building where 130 homes were located. The reconstruction will take three years. In total, ten companies were involved in insuring the building along with a number of other costs, such as lost rent, compensation for lost or damaged contents, and help with rehousing. In total, the fire engulfed 15 stairwells. 

Dragør Municipality boasts the highest ‘fertility rate’ in Denmark
Clearly there is something about Dragør Municipality on the Copenhagen island of Amager that attracts large families. According to 2021 figures, Dragør women have an average of 2.51 children each – the highest ‘fertility rate’ in Denmark. The top five was completed by Solrød, Rebild, Lejre and Skanderborg. In contrast, the average in Copenhagen is 1.56, the average in the Capital Region is 1.67, and the country’s lowest number can be found in Odense (1.55) – figures that are attributed to the large number of childless female students, and perhaps to the overriding tendency for most urban families to have two children. The population of Dragør is only 12,349.