Police launch one-week campaign targeting road-users who jump red lights

Male cyclists aged 18 to 35 in the Capital Region are the worst culprits, according to survey

Continuing at a red light, particularly if you are turning right on your bicycle, or passing through a pedestrian crossing on a seemingly deserted street, might seem like the natural thing to do.

But this week, traffic crimes like these will more likely than normal land you a large fine, as the police will be running a campaign to catch as many cyclists running red lights as possible.

According to a recent Rådet for Sikker Trafik study of 3,266 adults, 41 percent of cyclists confess to illegally turning right at red lights, while 8 percent admit to pedalling through conventional red lights.

Men aged 18 to 35 in the Capital Region are the worst culprits. In the Capital Region, one in eight cyclists admit to routinely cycling through red lights – and 19 percent of 18 to 35-year-olds.

Motorists too
The Week 21 campaign will also be aiming to catch motorists who drive through red lights.

Another recent Rådet for Sikker Trafik study, in collaboration with Wilke, reveals that 11 percent have run a red light in the last year.

Again, Copenhagen is the most likely region in which the crime is committed, with 17 percent confessing – a figure matched by the capital’s Vestegn suburbs. 

Some 5,070 motorists were questioned for the survey last year.

Notorious trouble spots
Certainly, fining cyclists and motorists can be a very profitable business.

On April 17, thanks to a trap at the bottom of a one-way street linking Gammel Kongevej to Vesterbrogade under the Ny Teater, the police caught 23 cyclists in just one hour, fining them 1,000 kroner each.

The spot is one of several notorious junctions in the capital where it is easy to make an honest mistake – a similar one-hour operation, where cyclists defied a ‘No Entry’ sign at Griffenfeldsgade in Nørrebro in late April, yielded 36,000 kroner.

Another is by ‘The Anchor’ at Nyhavn where the close proximity of the red lights often causes logjams among cyclists during busy times as they battle to find the space needed to move onto the next queue.




Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system