Traffic rules in Hungary apply equally to everyone, however, Budapest s left-liberal mayor does not seem to respect them. In violation of traffic laws, Gergely Karacsony had dangerously narrow car lanes allocated on some roads, leaving barely a width of 1.80 metres for motorists instead of the minimum standard of 2.75 metres, Hungarian news portal Ripost found.

During the coronavirus epidemic, new bicycle lanes appeared on roads all over Hungary s capital, as a result of the measures introduced by Budapest s leftist mayor Gergely Karacsony. However, the width of car lanes were reduced in violation of traffic laws, according to Hungarian daily Ripost. Although Hungarian traffic rules stipulate for a minimum lane width of 2.75 metres in urban areas, this is not the case in several places in the Hungarian capital.

Car lanes were reduced by 0.8-0.9 metres on some roads in Budapest, making safe driving virtually impossible.

The most extreme example of this is on Budaorsi street, at the crowded BAH junction, where the lane narrows to only 1.80 metres – which Ripost calls life-threatening.

The extremely narrow lane is not even noticeable for the first sight, which only adds to its danger. Larger vehicles such as buses or vans will inevitably get out of the lane, endangering other road users. For example, buses can only move along the lane if they occupy the bike lane completely.

Ripost looked at the Hungarian traffic rules, which are laid down in a decree. The decree plainly sets out that the minimum width of traffic lanes in a populated area must be at least 2.75 metres. This is proven not to be the case in several parts of Budapest.