What will happen to the iconic bridge? Government and opposition clash on the issue
One of Budapest’s most iconic bridges is the Chain Bridge, which is still partly under renovation. The big question to be decided is whether the bridge should operate with the same heavy traffic as before the renovation, or whether lighter traffic should cross the 174-year-old bridge.
The Chain Bridge was put into temporary use on 16 December 2022, and since then it has been open to Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) services, taxis, and cyclists, motorcyclists and mopeds.
As we wrote yesterday, the BKK has proposed that current traffic rules barring private cars from Budapest’s landmark Chain Bridge should be kept, details HERE.
Budapest’s standpoint
The Mayor of Budapest would leave the decision in the hands of the people of the capital. The current Budapest leadership, in line with the current trend of green cities, wants to squeeze out car traffic. This is what they have done with the Grand Boulevard, where they favour cyclists, but they are also trying to put the Danube embankment in the hands of pedestrians and cyclists rather than motorists.
Karacsony said earlier in the day that a local “residents’ meeting” would decide whether a current ban on cars on the bridge should be maintained.
Mayor Karácsony said:
This bridge does not belong to the government, nor to the city administration, but to the people of Budapest, and it is up to them to decide what should happen to it.
He also said the government had not made “a single forint of the agreed grant” available as yet.
Fidesz against keeping car ban for Chain Bridge
The government provided a 6 billion forint grant (EUR 16m) to the refurbishment of Budapest’s Chain Bridge on condition that “a partial or full ban on vehicular traffic will not be imposed for longer than 18 months”, ruling Fidesz said on Wednesday in connection with the city’s mulling a permanent ban on private cars.
In a statement, the Budapest chapter of Fidesz said Mayor Gergely Karácsony had personally signed the agreement and suggested that he was preparing to abandon the deal using the will of residents as an excuse.
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2 Comments
I’m with Mayo Greg on this, in principle. I do fear, though, that “green cities” is part of Agenda 2030 and the precursor to the “15-minute City” nonsense, which I oppose vehemently. Never, ever trust a globalist-socialist: They work for Uncle Klaus and ol’ Gyorgy, not the common man (and woman).
Democracy is Dialogue.
Concur – let the tax payers – the PEOPLE decide.
Residing in District V – my vote will be to keep private vehicles off the Chain Bridge.
Witnessed in “other” European City’s – use our extensive Tram network – as another FREIGHT delivery facility.
Would mean newly designed Freight Trams and whether our current tram system could cope with such an idea and the weight factor of freight services.
Not the WEIRDEST of ideas as I above referred having seen it that could be DISCUSSED.