One of the winning ideas of the 2022 Józsefváros Participatory Budget was implemented in the autumn of 2023 in the area behind the Rákóczi Market Hall, on Víg utca, after preparations in the spring and the summer. We held community events, painted the asphalt and put street furniture to show how the street could be used differently. We also created green islands with raised beds and, as a complement to the winning idea from the Participatory Budget, created a pedestrian and cycling zone on this section of the street. Two residential meetings were held in October and November to exchange experiences and questions about the street.

We reintroduced vehicle traffic at the beginning of December 2023. Now, we want to hear from local residents, institutions, and businesses about their experiences with the redesign and how they would like to use the road in the future.

The next steps

In January, we held another on-site meeting with the fire department, this time with an aerial rescue vehicle. This type of vehicle is the most space-consuming one in Budapest, and the local firefighters told us that it is not at all suitable for use on many narrow inner-city streets. We tested and measured how the vehicle would fit comfortably in practice and, compared to what was previously agreed, the fire department requested that the width of the two smaller beds be changed to allow the vehicle to fix its outriggers to work at height in all cases. To ensure that, the beds will be reduced in size during the week of 19 February.

As we mentioned in the autumn, we would like to hear from people living in and around Vígabb utca what they think of the autumn 2023 design, and what they would like to see Vígabb utca in the future. We have created an online survey which you can access at: https://jozsefvaros.hu/go/vigabbutca_en/ The deadline for completing the survey is 11 March. It is anonymous and will take about 10 minutes to complete. In addition, over the next few weeks, volunteers will be visiting the houses in and around Víg utca to help complete the questionnaire, and we will also be talking to businesses and institutions in the area to discuss their experiences.