Is Budapest’s mayor planning a fundamental change to parking rules?

Mayor Gergely Karácsony has hinted at a potential overhaul of Budapest’s parking regulations, drawing inspiration from Paris. Could this signal a significant shift following the upcoming municipal elections?

“When it comes to sustainable urban development, we should follow the example of Paris”, Karácsony declared in his yesterday Facebook post concerning the issue. The mayor of Hungary’s capital pointed to Paris’s approach, where citizens were canvassed on whether owners of SUVs should pay higher parking fees due to their vehicles’ size and weight—a proposal that garnered majority support. Karácsony conveniently left out the fact that only 5.7% of the Parisians participated in the referendum, with a slim majority of 54.55% backing the measure, as reported by infostart.hu. Similar initiatives are also underway in cities like Graz, Austria and Hannover, Germany.

Currently, in Budapest, all cars with green license plates can park freely, irrespective of their electric status, size or owner’s residence.

Will Karácsony lose political support due to his parking rule proposal?

“Parking fees serve to regulate urban traffic flow”, Karácsony argued. He did not mention though whether free parking should be abolished for zero-emission cars. However, he questioned the rationale behind allowing suburban green plate cars to occupy Budapest’s parking spots without charge. “Shouldn’t the citizens of Budapest have a say in this matter?” he posed to his followers, concluding his post.

Yet, the likelihood of such plans materialising before Hungary’s municipal elections on 9 June seems thin. Karácsony, a prominent figure in the anti-Orbán Hungarian opposition and the incumbent mayor, stands a good chance of reelection. Consequently, any measures targeting green plate cars might only come into effect post-June.

Nevertheless, recent modifications to relevant legislation in December have altered Budapest’s electoral system. There’s a possibility that Karácsony might not reap a majority in the municipal council, unlike his tenure from 2019 to 2024. This could potentially complicate the process of enacting fundamental modifications to parking rules post-election.

Read also:

• Strict parking rules introduced in Budapest – Read more HERE
• Here is the Great Agreement? This is how opposition wants to defeat Orbán in Budapest – Details in THIS article