Mother and daughter plant flowers in potholes to protest unsafe roads in Aalborg

A mother and daughter in Aalborg have taken an unusual approach to highlight the city’s persistent pothole problem by planting flowers in the damaged sections of Nørretrandersvej, reports Danish broadcaster DR.

The heavily trafficked road remains riddled with deep potholes months after winter frost caused widespread damage. Freja Heuckendorff, who cycles the route almost daily with her mother Elizabeth, said the hazards force cyclists to the edge of the road, risking dangerous accidents.

“Many people have complained to the municipality, but nothing much has happened,” Heuckendorff told DR. “So we thought we’d try something different—plant flowers to make the obstacles visible while also bringing a little joy to passersby.”

This is the second time the pair have planted flowers in the potholes. The first batch survived only a few days before being crushed by vehicles. “It’s too bad they were run over,” Heuckendorff said, “but at least the soil fills the holes, making them less dangerous.”

Lise Gansted-Mortensen, a project manager for Aalborg Municipality’s technical and environmental administration, acknowledged the creative protest but cautioned against encouraging similar actions. “It’s a fun and peaceful way to draw attention to the issue,” she said, “but we can’t have this everywhere—drivers swerving to avoid flower beds could create new hazards.”

The municipality attributed the delays to an unusually long frost period followed by a sudden thaw, which caused an overwhelming number of potholes. Gansted-Mortensen said repairs on Nørretrandersvej and other affected roads should be completed within the next few weeks.

While Heuckendorff welcomes the upcoming fixes, she criticized the timeline. “This is a busy road near a school. It should have been prioritized much sooner.”