A network of bike lanes for Bucharest residents to safely ride their bicycles around the capital remains just a beautiful dream for now.
Every mayor who takes office makes plans. New papers replace old ones. But the lanes are still awaited. Barely a few new kilometers are made in each term.
For example, Gabriela Firea promised back in the 2016 electoral campaign that she would expand the network of bike lanes throughout Bucharest. Below is a fragment from Gabriela Firea's electoral program back then:
She didn't do it.
Four years later, Nicușor Dan wrote in his electoral program that we would have a "true network" of bike lanes.
He didn't do it.
How many lanes do we have in Bucharest
Before 2010, several dangerous bike lanes were marked on sidewalks. The Traffic Police dismantled most of them.
Subsequently, the Bucharest City Hall continued to create bike lanes. In total, almost 50 kilometers. But the Traffic Police continued to dismantle some of them (such as those marked on Pantelimon Boulevard, on the sidewalk).
In 2020, according to the General Mayor's Office, the Capital had just over 20 kilometers of bike lanes.
In fact, what the Bucharest City Hall was doing was adding up the length of the lane on both sides of the road.
Speaking of the route, we had just over 10 kilometers of bike lanes in Bucharest.
Here are the routes arranged by the Bucharest City Hall with approval from the Traffic Police:
- Victoriei Avenue (on both sides)
- Independenței (on the section between Victoriei Avenue and Basarab Bridge, on both sides)
- Aviatorilor Boulevard (on both sides)
- Mareșal Constantin Prezan Boulevard (on both sides)
- Pipera Highway (on the section between Nicolae G. Caramfil Street and Aviației Street)
- Fabrica de Glucoză Street (on both sides)
- Câmpia Libertății (on the section Baba Novac Street – Liviu Rebreanu Boulevard)
- Baba Novac Street – Constantin Brâncuși Street (on the section Libertății Plain – entrance to Al. I. Cuza Park).
- Radu Beller Street – between Dorobanți Square and Av. Popa Marin Street (on one side)
- Floreasca Avenue - between George Călinescu Street and Ștefan cel Mare Highway (on one side)
In this term, the Bucharest City Hall has only arranged 3.61 km of bike lanes (i.e., 1.8 km of route), on:
- Kiseleff Boulevard, between Triumphal Arch and Press House
- Floreasca Avenue
- Radu Beller Street
Actually - as Spotmedia.ro has already informed you here - Nicușor Dan stated, back in the 2020 electoral campaign, that first a parking strategy for Bucharest and single lanes were needed.
And only after all these are sorted out, the bike lane network could be established.
However, the parking strategy was not implemented. Moreover, the single lane was arranged on only 6.7 km.
Velo masterplan: in progress, but still takes time
Nicușor Dan signaled back in December 2022 that the Bucharest City Hall has signed a contract to create a Master plan for bike lanes in the capital.
This master plan was supposed to be delivered in 12 months. That is, by the end of 2023.
It's not ready. Here's what the Bucharest City Hall transmitted, at the request of Spotmedia.ro:
"The Velo Masterplan is under development – Stage II.
So far, the Bucharest City Hall has received from the Provider F.I.P Consulting SRL the Stage 1 Report (according to the Bucharest City Hall, this involves inventorying all lanes in the city, arranged by the Bucharest City Hall and the sector mayors - editor's note).
We do not have the final form of the Velo Masterplan yet.
The draft document is to be subject to public consultation. Subsequently, it will be finalized and submitted for approval by the CGMB."
According to the institution led by Nicușor Dan, until the moment it will be subject to public debate, the part of the velo masterplan already completed is not public.
What are the sector mayors doing
Sector 2 City Hall aims to create 36 kilometers of bike lanes with European funds.
A feasibility study has been conducted.
They have plans for both smaller and larger, very crowded streets.
For example, on Ștefan cel Mare Road, they intended to redesign the sidewalks to make room for: bike lanes, pedestrian space, and green space.
But to be able to work, they need to coordinate with the Bucharest City Hall, which first needs to have the entire velo masterplan finalized and approved by the General Council of Bucharest Municipality (CGMB).
Even if the documentation were ready, the chances of the velo masterplan being adopted before the local elections in June 2024 are very slim.
Moreover, there are still details to be worked out.
According to the Bucharest City Hall, "The Technical Traffic Commission has given its preliminary approval for the S.F. phase at the proposal of Sector 2, excluding proposals for the arteries for which the Bucharest City Hall already has a project, namely: Ștefan cel Mare Road, Mihai Bravu Road, Fabrica de Glucoză Road, and Petricani Street".
It remains to be seen how or if the two institutions will agree on a way to create bike lanes.
Additionally, Sector 6 City Hall has already arranged bike lanes on both sides, on a 600-meter section of the Osiei road that they rehabilitated.
Shared lanes – an abandoned project
The Organization for the Promotion of Alternative Transport in Romania (OPTAR) won, in 2017, a contest held by the Bucharest City Hall entitled "Propose for Bucharest," with a shared lanes project.
The President of OPTAR, Marian Ivan, previously explained to Spotmedia.ro that - if correctly implemented - that project would have increased traffic safety at over 250 intersections and on about 300 kilometers of roads in Bucharest.
All this, at a cost of only 200,000 euros.
However, the Bucharest City Hall never implemented that project.
Details about the project that the Bucharest residents wanted but the City Hall did not want to put into practice can be found in the following clip, made by OPTAR:
"It's the day of the mole," says activist Irina Zamfirescu
We discussed bike lanes in Bucharest on the Citizen podcast.
Irina Zamfirescu, co-moderator and human rights activist at ActiveWatch, stated:
"I take it a bit personally because I ride my bike in this city. It's literally the 'day of the mole' on this subject.
It's exactly the same story from Sorin Oprescu's time. From Traian Băsescu, with those lanes in front of the City Hall (general ones, on Regina Elisabeta Boulevard - editor's note).
I won't even mention Nicușor Dan. I want to talk about the mayors from the last 15 years.
We have that environmental infringement risk, we already have a critical mass of people using alternative transportation.
And I am absolutely convinced that once you have infrastructure that provides more safety for the bike user, there will be even more."
For more details, watch the full episode of the Citizen podcast below:
