A hairdresser in Faaborg has launched a citizen petition after several free parking spaces outside the local Brugsen supermarket were converted to electric vehicle charging bays, forcing customers to hunt for spots while the new infrastructure sees limited use.
Kirstine Brusgaard runs a salon in Faaborg and reports that clients struggle to find parking near the supermarket before giving up. The problem is not a lack of painted bays. The problem is that a growing number of them are reserved for electric vehicles that rarely arrive.
The numbers tell a story that national policy did not anticipate. According to Statistics Denmark, around 24,000 passenger cars are registered in Faaborg-Midtfyn Municipality, up roughly 10 to 12 percent since 2015. StatBank data also indicate that just over 80 percent of households in the municipality own at least one car, compared with about 72 percent nationwide. The town centre has a limited supply of marked public parking spaces, and that supply has shrunk as bays have been converted to EV chargers.
Climate policy met small-town reality
Faaborg-Midtfyn entered into a concession agreement with private charging operators around 2022, in line with national EV rollout programmes. According to the Danish Energy Agency, national guidance strongly encourages centrally visible locations for public chargers, and some subsidy schemes prioritise such placement. Concession contracts in such programmes generally define a minimum number of dedicated bays for the agreement term and include clauses requiring operator consent before any reduction.
According to StatBank, pure battery electric vehicles account for around 5 to 6 percent of passenger cars in Faaborg-Midtfyn, compared with over 15 percent in Copenhagen. The result is infrastructure running ahead of local demand, at the cost of flexible general parking.
Municipal parking assessments for Faaborg describe the area around Brugsen as a high-pressure zone where occupancy already exceeded 85 percent at peak hours before the conversion. According to VisitDenmark and Statistics Denmark, overnight stays in Faaborg-Midtfyn have risen substantially compared with five years ago, mirroring national coastal tourism growth. National transport statistics indicate that over 80 percent of domestic tourists arrive by car in coastal municipalities comparable to Faaborg.
For internationals living car-dependent in rural Fyn or renting summer houses, the squeeze is immediate. According to Statistics Denmark, foreign nationals make up about 7 percent of the municipality’s population, roughly 3,000 residents. VisitDenmark figures show German tourists account for a substantial share of overnight stays. Many misread Danish signage and park on EV bays without charging, risking fines of several hundred kroner per offence under rules set out in the parking bylaw for Faaborg-Midtfyn and national regulations. Repeated or serious violations can accumulate to higher totals, as outlined at parking fines guidance.
The contract trap
Municipal officials acknowledge the problem but cannot simply repaint the lines. Standard concession clauses guarantee operators a fixed number of dedicated bays for the contract term. Reducing that footprint requires written consent and often compensation. According to Denmark’s national e-mobility strategy, the target is at least one public charger per ten EVs. The Danish Energy Agency notes in its e-mobility rollout evaluation that some rural municipalities already exceed this ratio, indicating overcapacity relative to current fleet size.
According to the Danish Energy Agency’s e-mobility rollout evaluation, early-stage underutilisation at specific locations is a known implementation challenge. Yet transport planning experts, writing in a Danish professional association report on small-town mobility, warn that removing general parking in small towns without adding alternatives risks hollowing out high streets before sustainable modes become viable.
Seasonal blindness
Planning models relied on off-season averages and did not account for June to August peaks when summer-house owners and tourists arrive. According to VisitDenmark, the municipality hosts over 2,000 summer houses and holiday dwellings, a disproportionate share owned by non-resident Danes and Germans. Faaborg’s role as a gateway to the archipelago amplifies seasonal pressure considerably.
According to municipal planning documents, the town centre has received no significant new off-street parking capacity in over a decade. Several small private lots have been redeveloped or earmarked for housing. The supermarket car park became the de facto gateway for locals and visitors alike, then lost a portion of its flexibility to a national rollout schedule.
What can actually change
Affected residents and businesses have several tools available. These include submitting formal input during local plan consultations, writing directly to the Teknik- og Planudvalg, and initiating or signing citizen petitions via the municipality’s e-democracy channels. According to Faaborg-Midtfyn Kommune’s participation procedures, these channels are open to all residents, including foreign nationals. Some municipalities have negotiated partial conversions to mixed-use bays or introduced time limits that free chargers for general parking overnight.
Parking rules are strict. A blue sign with a plug symbol means charging-only. Combustion vehicles may not use these bays under any circumstances. Even EVs can be fined if parked without charging beyond the time limit. Official guidance is available on borger.dk, with some English content. Expatriates can contact municipal citizen service for clarification.
Practical advice for internationals includes shopping outside peak hours, using peripheral parking with a short walk, and checking municipal websites for parking maps. EV owners can use operator apps to find alternative chargers slightly outside the centre where pressure is lower.
The long game
Long-term solutions will likely mix rebalancing EV versus conventional bays, optimising time limits, and expanding peripheral parking. Danish law constrains ad hoc changes. Any substantial reconfiguration attached to local plans requires formal amendment procedures. If concession contracts are involved, expect legal review and possible compensation.
For now, Kirstine Brusgaard’s petition is one of the tools residents can use. It will land on the desk of a technical committee bound by contracts signed in the name of climate ambition. The question is whether political will and operator negotiations can rebalance supply before more residents and visitors decide to shop somewhere else.
