Motorists will not be given back the bus lanes that were intended to be temporary due to the subway renovation. Even though the subway was handed over, the lanes intended for replacement buses will remain, as will most likely the traffic jams. The city administration is still negotiating with the Magyar Autóklub. It is already clear: the overpass built along the North-South transport axis of the capital at Nyugati tér and Népliget would be demolished, because they are in bad condition and are used by too many cars.

After many years of waiting, the M3 metro was handed over to passenger traffic, although trains do not stop at Lehel Square and Nagyvárad Square. Apart from the passengers, the handover on March 20th was perhaps the only one waiting so much for motorists, since many hoped to get back the painted bus lanes on Váci út and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, helping the movement of replacement buses.

The mayor presented what kind of future he envisioned for the city center. It turned out that there is no question of motorists getting back the temporarily removed lanes, on the contrary, Gergely Karácsony wrote on his social media page, "now that the M3 subway is finished, here is the opportunity to arrange the surface as well!" "

According to the assessment of the city manager, the traffic order in the areas connected with the bus lane changed during the six years of the subway renovation, and life adapted to it.

According to Gergely Karácsony, traffic on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, Kiskörút, Üllői út and Váci út must be reformed. " Instead of inner-city highways, we want revitalizing boulevards that connect neighborhoods again, " he declared.

According to the official communique, Budapest's management will renew Váci ut, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky ut and Üllői ut keeping in mind the interests of city residents, pedestrians and cyclists. According to the capital's plans, the construction would take place over the next seven years with EU funds, within the framework of which, among other things,

  • bus lanes will become bicycle lanes,
  • trolley replaces diesel buses,
  • bus number 9 would be discontinued, trolley number 72 would go to Kőbánya instead,
  • they would begin the renovation of the City Hall park.

Among the visual plans presented is the removal of the overpass built along Budapest's north-south transport backbone at Népliget and Nyugati tér, which are in poor technical condition and, in the opinion of Mayor Gergely Karácsony and his colleagues, generate traffic that the city center cannot handle . According to the promise, the two overpasses will be demolished after 2026.

Another idea is to restore the tram service from Deák tér to Lehel tér on the same route as the 3 metro, which has now been renovated with considerable billions, but on the surface, which will take another lane from Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út and Váci út.

Mandiner asked the Magyar Autóklub (MAK) how it evaluates the thorough disruption of traffic in the capital, especially the issue of bus lanes.

The MAK indicated: " it can be taken for certain that the curtailment of the road capacity of the Üllői and Váci út axis will have a sensitive effect on car traffic, which is a direct cause for concern. However, on the routes in question, some kind of compromise solution seems relatively acceptable, since the downtown receiving capacity of these radial routes is insufficient and public transport alternatives with high service are available. "

Source: hirado.hu / Mandiner

Cover photo: Gergely Karácsony (Photo: MTI/Tamás Kovács)