Cars are practically banned from a part of Budapest
The traffic of non-residents passing through Budapest VII is significantly restricted. in the Erzsébetváros part of the district – Péter Niedermüller, the mayor of the district. According to him, the traffic calming project, which the district is implementing jointly with the Budapest Transport Center (BKK) and the Budapest Közút, has been going on for one and a half to two years.
As of the second of January – in accordance with the traffic restrictions that will come into effect – only those who have a parking permit can drive into Belső-Erzsébetváros.
In order to regulate through traffic, drive-through points will be established in the affected area. According to the mayor’s reasoning, in addition to the further reduction in car traffic, the residents of the district will be “doing a favor” because there will be more parking options.
From the beginning of 2023, restrict traffic in the area between Nagykörút and Károly körút (Kiskörút) and between Király utca and Rákóczi út. This will affect the through traffic of three high-traffic streets, Dohány, Dob and Wesselényi utca.
The Infostart Niedermüller confirmed that he will not introduce a speed limit for the time being, and that the capital management will keep it on the agenda to create 30 km/h zones throughout Budapest.
On the other hand, lawyer Kázmér Kovács, who is also the chairman of the legal committee of the Magyar Autoklub, already considers the district’s previous traffic reductions to be seriously objectionable and counterproductive, since certain sections can only be avoided to a significant extent. He added: he considers traffic calming as a goal justified, but he also feels moderation is important. Regarding the possible speed limit, he said, “if expediency is sacrificed on the altar of simplification, then that is bad”.