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DRIVING

Danish speed camera warning app to be switched off

The Fartkontrol.nu app, which warns motorists about upcoming speed checks on roads, is to be switched off at the end of January.

Danish speed camera warning app to be switched off
Danish app "fartkontrol.nu" will be shut down at the end of January. File photo: Martin Sylvest/Ritzau Scanpix

A message appeared in the app confirming that it will no longer work from next month, media Avisen Danmark reported.

“It is with great regret that we are unable to continue running the app due to technical challenges and new requirements from Google Maps that we are unable to meet,” the message states.

Fartkontrol.nu warns users about speed checks as well as accidents and other traffic disruptions on Danish roads.

Users of the app submit reports of speed checks, accidents or queues to the app, which other users are then able to see. The app is free to use.

According to its website, the app has over 300,000 active users in Denmark.

It is legal to use but several politicians have previously criticised it and other similar apps, accusing it of being immoral.

But so-called “gossip apps” (sladre-apps) are generally well regarded according to comments previously made by Aalborg University traffic researcher Harry Lahrmann to news wire Ritzau .

“These apps actually have the same effect as if you see a police car driving on the road on patrol. You drive nicely when you see a police car, and a warning about speed checks can have the same effect on road users,” Lahrmann said.

Road safety advocacy group Rådet for Sikker Trafik recommends only using an app that uses sound alerts, so that drivers don’t read text messages or notifications while driving.

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COPENHAGEN

Copenhagen to get 1,000 new electric car charging ports

Copenhagen Municipality has signed a deal with contractors to install an additional 1,000 new charging ports for electric cars in the Danish capital.

Copenhagen to get 1,000 new electric car charging ports

The number of electric cars in Copenhagen is increasing, meaning the city is seeing a growing demand for charging points for electric vehicles belonging to both commuters and residents, the city government said in a statement on Wednesday.

A contract to install around 1,000 new electric parking spaces in the city has now been agreed with suppliers.

The deal is the first round in a larger process to add 4,100 electric charging spaces in the city by the end of 2025, under a 2022 municipal agreement.

The suppliers, Clever A/S, OK A.m.b.A and E.ON Drive Infrastructure, win the contracts based on considerations including price for users, construction time, sustainability and the rent they will pay to install their chargers in the parking spaces, the municipality said.

The municipality’s elected head of the city infrastructure committee (Teknik- og miljøborgmester), Line Barfod, welcomed the completion of the concession process.

“In Copenhagen, we agree politically that sustainability and the environment should be highly emphasised and we have similarly valued the price for residents highly to make it attractive to be park of the green conversion of the car park,” she said in the statement.

“I’m pleased that we can now look forward to better charging options in Copenhagen Municipality, making it easier to drive green if you need a car,” she said.

The specific locations of the new charging spaces is yet to be agreed between municipality and suppliers, but their position will eventually be listed on the Copenhagen Municipality website.

READ ALSO: Why the electric bicycle is gaining popularity in Denmark

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