Vejdirektoratet has put up a sign at the third Limfjord connection construction site west of Aalborg, asking the public not to photograph or film workers after staff reported feeling monitored.
According to DR, the sign stands at the coast west of Aalborg. It asks people to refrain from taking photos or video of staff, out of consideration for the employees’ privacy and their ability to work undisturbed.
The sign was put up because workers on the project have been confronted by onlookers on several occasions. Vejdirektoratet is currently building a temporary dam across the Limfjord south of Egholm, where the sign has been placed.
Project manager Mette Bentzen of Vejdirektoratet declined an interview but responded in writing to DR. She stated that some advisers and contractors have felt surveilled and have found pictures of themselves on Facebook pages, among other places.
Per Bentzen, anyone who wants to photograph or film surveys and fieldwork should consider whether others may feel harassed by it. She also encouraged the public to contact Vejdirektoratet with questions or comments about the construction work.
Union calls the situation distressing
Reidar Kogstad chairs the construction group at the trade union 3F Aalborg. He described it as distressing that employees are being photographed by spectators, and said the workers are not part of any political debate.
As stated by Kogstad, there should be respect for the tradespeople who go to work on the site. He said Vejdirektoratet and the contractor carry a responsibility to ensure their staff are not harassed at the workplace.
Kogstad praised the sign for urging people to respect the employees’ privacy. According to him, people who are unhappy with the motorway should direct their anger at the politicians who decided on it, not at people doing their jobs.
Else Marie Tolbøll is chair of Borgerbevægelsen mod en motorvej i Egholmlinjen, the citizens’ movement opposing the motorway route across Egholm. She distanced the group from the episodes behind the sign, and said it sounds unpleasant if anyone is photographing the staff on site.
As noted by Tolbøll, the workers are simply there to do their jobs. She said the movement is fighting the project through the courts, and that this is the right path to take.
The group has filed a lawsuit seeking to have the construction act for the project declared invalid. According to Tolbøll, that is where the movement can make a difference and get the construction stopped.
Bentzen told DR that the effect of the sign was felt after a short time. She wrote that the contractor put up the sign and has already seen more consideration shown, with employees feeling less monitored and less bothered.
Construction of the motorway across Egholm has begun, but opposition to the route continues. Anyone driving in Denmark in the area passes close to the ongoing work at the Limfjord.
