State Secretary: Safety bollards “unprofessionally installed” to protect bicycle paths are “dangerous and will cause traffic jams”

Bence Rétvári, state secretary at the interior ministry, said the safety bollards “unprofessionally installed” to protect bicycle paths along Budapest’s Váci and Üllői roads are “dangerous and will cause traffic jams”, and hinder ambulances and police. Rétvári slammed Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony for taking “pseudo-measures” and taking lanes away from vehicular traffic rather than providing new bike paths. He insisted that the bollards had been installed without preliminary consultations and the move had “created incomprehension and fear”. “Nobody had considered how much trouble it would cause to ambulances and police cars, and firefighters.” “It is important for the city to take measures which will assist the work of ambulance staff, police, and firefighters, rather than ones that would actually hinder and jeopardise them,” Rétvári said.