The draft of the new traffic order for the Csarnok, Népszínház, and Magdolna negyed was completed following consultations with BKK Zrt. and Budapest Közút Zrt. personnel.
Check out the links below to see the planned changes in Középső Józsefváros, and if you have any suggestions, here’s your chance to communicate them until June 30.
We invite you to our design presentation forum on Wednesday, June 22, from 6 pm at Kesztyűgyár, where you can get to know and comment on the plans in person.
Heavy car traffic has many bad effects on residents: it is loud, and the foul air causes neurological and respiratory illnesses. People are reluctant to walk where there are a lot of cars because there may not be wide enough pavement, and speeding cars can cause an accident. There are actually a lot of hidden costs to car use that everyone suffers, even those who don’t own a car. Properties are much more valuable where the air is cleaner and children can play outside because people prefer living in more livable neighborhoods than in gray and smelly areas. And, if the air is cleaner, you don’t have to go to the doctor as much.
Therefore, I want to create neighborhoods that are attractive to people, not cars. For this purpose, we have formulated three primary goals for the peace of mind of the people living here:
Reduce transit vehicle traffic.
Slow down, and dampen the remaining traffic. Reducing car traffic means that all locations will be accessible by car in Józsefváros, but only if the driver plans his journey well.
Make walking and cycling more attractive.
To do this, we will create pedestrian islands and narrow the roadway’s width, making it safer for pedestrians to cross the road. We will restore the possibility of two-way cycling in several places.
The plan will be carried out using cost-effective tools to achieve wide-range traffic reduction and improve the implementation based on the feedback.
We accept your suggestions until June 30, and if you have any questions, write to info@rev8.hu.
The suggestions will be examined, and once the necessary permits have been obtained and decisions made, the changes will be implemented depending on the circumstances and technical requirements. The work will be carried out first in the Magdolna negyed, then in the Népszínház negyed, and finally in the Csarnok negyed, taking into account the renovation work on Déri Miksa utca.
According to plans, the Magdolna, Népszínház, and Csarnok negyed will be completed with temporary elements this year, in 2022, as well as the traffic calming measures in Tisztviselőtelep and the plan for Százados negyed. Following this in 2023 are the Corvin, Losonci, and Orczy negyed.
Major traffic changes
Based on the new vehicle traffic regulations, we will create a 30 km/h zone in the area within the main roads.
The east-west route of the Csarnok negyed is mainly achieved by the changes to József utca and Bérkocsis utca. Vehicles can use József utca until the intersection of Víg utca, and then from Őr utca only to Lovassy László utca, only bicycles can enter on József utca behind these corners. The traffic direction will change in one section of Bérkocsis utca, and the traffic coming from Nagykörút may not use Víg utca to turn around and enter Palotanegyed, as the direction of Víg utca will also be reversed between Bérkocsis utca and Déri Miksa utca.
In contrast, cyclists and other micromobility devices can use Dankó utca, József utca, and Német utca in both directions, where they will also get a dedicated “reverse” lane while two-way cycling will be allowed on the other streets in the area.
In Magdolna negyed, two-way traffic will be eliminated in Dankó utca, and the street will be one-way for car users from the intersection of Magdolna utca to Szerdahelyi utca and Kálvária tér. Another change is that it will not be possible to drive straight at the corners of Magdolna and Koszorú utca and Magdolna and Lujza utca.
In Népszínház negyed, Alföldi utca will become one-way between Népszínház and Kun utca. The direction changes in Kun utca between Népszínház and Alföldi utca. To reduce the traffic of Luther utca towards Rákóczi út, it will not be possible to enter from Népszínház utca. Kiss József utca will be two-way, from which it will be possible to drive to Rákóczi utca.
Click on the links below to view the map in detail and comment on the plans:
Map of the main cycling network
Detailed traffic calming measures in Csarnok negyed
We had to deal with several complex issues in Csarnok negyed. To improve the living conditions of the locals, we also want to reduce east-west and north-south transit traffic.
Accordingly, there will be several sections in József utca where it will not be possible to cross by car. Smaller squares are planned for these areas.
Similarly, the traffic direction on Bérkocsis utca will change between Tolnai Lajos utca and Fecske utca. We will displace the traffic of József körút that uses Víg utca to turn around, by reversing the direction of Víg utca behind the Csarnok.
We will create alternating parking and pullouts between intersections to slow car traffic, meaning cars must make a slight detour as they cross the street.
Our primary goal is to make walking and cycling more attractive, so we will decrease turning radiuses for a more comfortable pedestrian crossing, and two-way cycling will be possible in all streets in the district.
As József utca and Német utca can become important cycling corridors, we will create dedicated cycling lanes, which run behind the parking lane in several places.
Click here to see the detailed plans of the Népszínház negyed and comment on them.
Summary:
Elimination of parking on sidewalks: 35 vehicles
Total number of removed parking spaces 61 vehicles
Number of pedestrian-friendly intersections: 15
Changes in vehicle traffic directions: 7 sections
Vehicle traffic filter: 2 pcs
New two-way cycling sections: 33 sections
Detailed traffic calming measures in Magdolna negyed
The Magdolna negyed will undergo three significant changes: Dankó utca will be one-way from its center, Magdolna utca, while cyclists coming from the opposite direction will be able to drive through in a dedicated lane. Another significant change is the designation of a mandatory turning direction for vehicles at the intersections of Magdolna utca, Lujza utca, and Koszorú utca.
To facilitate slower driving, we are narrowing the traffic lane by removing parking on every street’s sidewalk, leaving more parking spaces.
In addition to narrowing the traffic lane, we help keep the appropriate speed with pullouts every 70-100 meters, meaning cars must make a slight detour as they cross the street. In many cases, these pullouts consider the afforestation possibilities of the sites.
In addition to the bicycle lane on Dankó utca, we also plan to create a bicycle lane on the southern section of Koszorú utca and the Teleki László tér section of Szerdahelyi utca, as they are important bicycle network connections for the district and the capital city.
We also want to help pedestrians at bigger intersections; for example, Kálvária tér will have wider sidewalks and pedestrian islands to facilitate pedestrian crossing.
Click here to see the detailed plans of the Magdolna negyed and comment on them.
Summary:
Elimination of parking on sidewalks: 306 vehicles
Total number of removed parking spaces 23
Number of pedestrian-friendly intersections: 6
Changes in vehicle traffic directions: 6 sections
Vehicle traffic filter: 2 pcs
New two-way cycling sections: 3 sections
Detailed traffic calming measures in Népszínház negyed
The most significant change in Népszínház negyed is that the wide intersections will be equipped with pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and pedestrian islands. This will make the intersections at II. János Pál Pápa tér, and the Kiss József utca and Bezerédi utca safer and more convenient for the pedestrian public.
We want to strengthen the role of Luther utca in the bicycle traffic network and reduce transit traffic in Luther utca accordingly. To this end, we will eliminate the possibility of entering Luther utca from Népszínház utca, but at the same time, we will open Kiss József utca to the traffic leading to Rákóczi út.
We will reduce transit traffic by changing the direction of a section of Kun utca and making some sections of Alföldi utca one-way. These sections of Kun utca and Alföldi utca will be two-way only by bicycle.
To slow the traffic, we help keep the appropriate speed, as cars must make a slight detour crossing the street in 30 km/h zones. This will be the case, for example, in Csokonai, Kenyérmező, Légszesz, Dologház, Alföldi utca and along Teleki tér.
Click here to see the detailed plans of the Népszínház negyed and comment on them.
Summary:
Elimination of parking on sidewalks: 24 vehicles
Total number of removed parking spaces 28
Number of pedestrian-friendly intersections: 13
Changes in vehicle traffic directions: 4 sections
Vehicle traffic filter: 0 pcs
New two-way cycling sections: 4 sections