[NEWS] Bucharest: sustainable mobility

The public authorities in the Bucharest Ilfov Region continue to implement the initiatives regarding the development of sustainable mobility, understanding the importance of the citizen’s mobility in this region, which, after all, represents the basis of the economic development. According to the latest studies in the field, Bucharest is the city with the highest traffic jams in Europe and one of the most affected in the world, with a congestion level of 41%, reaching the 8th place in the ranking of the worst in the world and the first place in Europe. According to the European Commission's communication in the 2020 annual country report on Romania - "the quality and reliability of road and rail networks are poor and investments in sustainable transport infrastructure are insufficient, especially in relation to the traffic needs generated by an expanding economy ”.

In an attempt to combat this phenomenon, at the level of the Bucharest - Ilfov region, a working group was set up consisting of over 60 representatives of the central and local authority, of the institutions dealing with air, railway, road transport, but also of the university and research environment, as well as representatives of civil society. This working group provides the necessary framework for the exchange of information and ideas, as well as the integrated monitoring of major transport investment projects in the Bucharest-Ilfov Region. The main objective of the working group is to initiate and implement as many investment projects as possible in terms of mobility development in the region, in the context of approving the national recovery and resilience plan.

Thus, the focus of this group's work is on the development of an intermodal transport system that prioritizes the improvement of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure inside cities and the creation of significant and sustained investments in railways, trains and electric buses. At the same time, the working group will be responsible for the implementation of the "Orbital Bucharest" project, which provides for the construction of 10 express roads with a total length of 96 km, for connecting Bucharest with the current Capital Beltway and further with the Ring Road (now under construction), as well as the interconnection with Ilfov County.

All these measures, to be implemented and budgeted through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, are highlighting the growing concerns regarding the development of sustainable mobility, with low greenhouse gas emissions.