Budapest is heading towards new traffic restrictions: city leadership would introduce more speed cameras and is urging a tougher crackdown on speeding, whilst aiming to completely eliminate fatal road accidents by 2050. According to the police, 2025 saw a record-low number of fatalities, and BKK plans to have a 30 km/h speed limit in place on 61% of the capital’s roads by 2030.

More speed cameras will be monitoring Budapest’s roads

According to the city’s leadership, a stricter approach to speeding is essential. Lord Mayor Gergely Karácsony, speaking at the Budapest road safety conference, said that fixed cameras currently monitor 57 traffic lanes, but that this is far from sufficient.

According to plans, the number of cameras could increase significantly in the coming years, as police data shows that approximately 250,000 speeding incidents are recorded in Budapest annually, according to Portfolio. Experts believe, however, that the actual figure may be considerably higher.

The aim of the speed camera programme is not merely to issue fines, but also to transform driving culture. According to the city leadership, drivers only take speed limits seriously when they can expect continuous enforcement.

A 30 km/h speed limit is coming to much of the city

The plan that is expected to spark the greatest controversy is the one under which 61% of Budapest’s roads will have a 30 km/h speed limit in place by 2030.

According to BKK, this is a life-saving measure. Statistics show that if a car strikes a pedestrian at 30 km/h, the pedestrian has approximately a 90% chance of survival. At higher speeds, this ratio deteriorates drastically.

The expansion of Budapest’s speed camera network is therefore closely linked to traffic calming. According to the city, slower traffic could result in safer streets, more liveable districts, and fewer fatal accidents.

The inner districts are particularly active in this regard: Districts VI and VIII have already established significant 30 km/h zones.

Fatal accidents have never been so few

According to the police, results are already visible. Budapest Police Chief Tamás Terdik stated that in 2025, the number of fatal road accidents in the capital fell to a historic low.

Last year, 22 fatal accidents occurred in Budapest, representing a 40% improvement on the previous year. In addition, 636 serious-injury accidents and more than two thousand minor-injury accidents were recorded.

According to the city leadership, these figures confirm that expanding the speed camera network and introducing speed limits are working.

Many people, however, fear that excessive traffic calming could create new problems: longer journey times, greater congestion, and even more frustration among motorists.

We previously wrote about what kind of difficult situations can arise with other modes of transport in summer here.

Electric scooters represent a new hazard

The conference also heard that electric scooter accidents are causing an increasingly serious problem. According to the police, the number of such incidents is “showing an enormous rise,” and new regulations and controls may be introduced as a result.

Experts say the situation is further complicated by the fact that many scooter riders fail to comply with traffic rules, whilst pedestrians and motorists alike struggle to adapt to this new form of transport.

Alongside the development of Budapest, one of the most important questions in the coming years will therefore be how to make micromobility safer.

A more liveable Budapest or a war on motorists?

The city’s long-term goal is clear: to reduce the number of fatal road accidents to zero by 2050. This is an extraordinarily ambitious commitment even by European standards.

The question is rather how readily the people of Budapest will accept the changes. Some believe that expanding the speed camera network and introducing 30 km/h zones is a necessary step in the protection of human lives. Others, however, fear that the city is placing excessive restrictions on motor traffic.

If you missed it: Schengen country extends border checks on Hungarian frontiers