Copenhagen turns traffic wardens into tour guides

Photo: John Anes

They are some of the most hated people in the country and if you see one, it normally means you could be facing an unexpected fine. Now, though, Copenhagen will be inviting tourists to embrace traffic wardens as a helpful source of information by turning them into tour guides.

Some parking wardens will be giving the additional role in a pilot scheme to see if their city-wide knowledge can prove handy to holidaymakers.

"We would like to give tourists an even better service when they visit Copenhagen," Thomas Jakobsen, the head of the municipality’s culture and leisure management," tells The Post.

"It should be easy for tourists to get the information they need, so we have asked traffic wardens to share their knowledge of the city and its attractions or just to help out lost tourists."

Jes Øksnebjerg, managing director at Center Parkering, says he hopes that it will boost the reputation of traffic wardens as well as that of the city.

"The attendants are a group of professionals who are not always greeted with smiles," he comments. "So when there is a chance for a different type of citizen contact, employees respond positively."

11 wardens will now wear "ASK ME" signs to encourage tourists to request assistance. They will still continue their duties of issuing parking Fines at the same time.

What do you think? Would you ask a traffic warden for help on holiday?