Official: Huge changes coming to Budapest traffic, pay attention!

The General Assembly of Budapest adopted the Road Safety Strategy prepared by experts from the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK). As part of this, a city-wide network of traffic cameras will be built and a number of other changes will be introduced. Here is everything you should know.

Among others, new rules for scooters and new speed limits for cars would be introduced.

Budapest Road Safety Strategy

According to BKK, almost 500 people have died on Budapest’s roads in the last 10 years. Road traffic in the capital is more dangerous than in other cities of similar size, with proportionally five times as many people dying in traffic as in Vienna.

This is why the transport centre has developed the Budapest Road Safety Strategy, which aims to halve the number of road fatalities in the capital by 2030 and reduce them to zero by 2050, in line with the relevant EU directives.

Thanks to Wednesday’s favourable decision of the Assembly, the development of the action plan related to the strategy and the full implementation of the package of measures can begin, they add.

What to expect?

The strategy sets out measures to reduce road risks by bringing together the key drivers – people, vehicles and infrastructure. This is based, among other things, on:

• setting up a network of 300 speed cameras, operating around the clock throughout Budapest;
• setting speed limits adapted to function everywhere on the Budapest road and street network, i.e. reduce speed limits in the city centre and double the size of residential areas protected by 30-zones or residential-recreational zones;
• the implementation of the pedestrian crossing renewal programme;
• only allowing shared scooters to travel within the capital with a single digital speed limit (maximum 25 km/h);
• fitting the latest safety equipment to large vehicles with significant blind spots, buses and lorries owned by the capital;
• launching educational and awareness-raising programmes for adults and children.

The Road Safety Strategy was the result of a long preparatory process and consultation. During the preparation and finalisation of the technical material, BKK conducted several consultations, the statement concludes.