Budapest began building a barrier-protected two-way cycle path on Szent Gellért rakpart on 19 October, on the side opposite the Rudas Baths. The project, funded by the city’s participatory budget and carried out by Budapest Közút, fully separates pedestrian and cycle traffic between the tram stop and the tree line. It is meant to make travel safer for several thousand pedestrians and cyclists every day.
What changes
On a stretch of about 260 metres opposite the Rudas Baths, cycle traffic moves from the pavement onto a little-used parking lane. A barrier built along its full length will protect the new two-way path from motor traffic. Ramps will connect the path to the pavement. Once cyclists are moved, the pavement on this stretch will be for pedestrians only. The general and disabled parking spaces on the Rudas Baths side and the traffic lanes are not affected. The works are expected to end in mid-November, with minor traffic restrictions until then.
Why the city is doing it
The Buda embankment is one of the city’s busiest cycle routes, but between Döbrentei tér and Szent Gellért tér the shared pedestrian and cycle pavement is very narrow in several places. The problem arose more than ten years ago, after the narrowing linked to the tram stop, and worsened as cycling became more popular and tourism grew. Separating the two flows became a winning idea in the 2022–2023 participatory budget.
Money and scope
During preparation, redesigning the full section between Szabadság híd and Erzsébet híd proved more complex than planned. The southern, tree-lined section could only be changed with a much larger intervention. The cost of such works exceeds the amount available in the participatory budget for this purpose. At its session of 17 December last year, the Municipal Assembly reallocated 70 million forint of the project’s 120 million forint budget frame to the tram acceleration programme. Experts therefore focused on a section where the available funds can bring a visible safety improvement now.
What happens next
The city says the project does not solve all pedestrian and cycling problems on the embankment, but is the first part of a longer-term programme. Talks on renewing other sections are under way. The construction of the Budai Fonódó tram network section in front of the Műegyetem is expected to open the way for the missing redesign. BKK and Budapest Közút ask users of mixed-traffic sections not yet covered to keep paying close attention to one another.