Most major arteries leading into Budapest are at full capacity during peak hours due to a combination of factors that threaten to choke Budapest,
According to data from public road management company Magyar Közút, traffic rose by 10 percent on the M3 stretch leading into the capital last year, the busiest motorway leading into Budapest from the east.
Rmx.news reports that most motorway stretches around the capital run at or above 100 percent capacity and traffic jams have become a permanent fixture even without accidents and road repairs.
There are several factors behind the surge in traffic. First the growing number of motor vehicles: last year alone, the number of new cars hit 136,000 and this year the number could rise to 160,000. Secondly, residents leave central Budapest for the outskirts because of lower real estate prices and better living conditions. What's more, an increasing number of commuters choose personal instead of public transportation. Finally, fuel prices have also remained low in the past year.
Budapest has a population of 1.75 million and according to think-tank Lechner Tudásközpont some 200,000 people commute every day to downtown Budapest from the suburbs, coming from over 2,000 settlements.