Road running championships trigger Copenhagen traffic chaos

Road closures for this weekend’s World Athletics Road Running Championships caused queues and heavy traffic in Copenhagen on Friday morning, DR reported. Several streets around the starting area in Østerbro were closed, according to P4 Trafik.

The closures affect parts of Østerbrogade, Jagtvej and Øster Allé. The event is being organised by Sparta Atletik & Løb together with World Athletics and Dansk Atletik.

Dorte Vibjerg, chief executive of Sparta Atletik & Løb, said the closures had been planned for Friday morning because the event begins on Saturday. Road closures for marathons and half-marathons normally begin on Saturday, when there is less weekday traffic.

“It is of course regrettable that it causes some inconvenience during the morning traffic,” Vibjerg said.

She said the organisers could not wait until after the morning rush because rehearsals were scheduled for Friday afternoon to ensure that everything was ready for Saturday and Sunday. Hosting a world championship also involved additional requirements from the international federation and a larger setup, she said.

The same traffic conditions will continue for the rest of Friday, according to Vibjerg. The affected streets have been signposted for some time, she said.