The special lane for public transport that was opened in northern Bucharest on Monday morning has caused a major traffic jam in the area, the cars heading towards the city center forming traffic queues of over 16 km, reports local Mediafax. The City Hall thus decided to suspend the new lane until the end of this school year, when traffic should get lighter in Bucharest.

The traffic jam was caused by the fact that one of the three lanes was turned into a special lane for public transport, and the drivers were left with only two lanes, which was not enough for the large number of cars entering Bucharest on the morning of a working day. The drivers spent up to two hours in the traffic jam. The Bucharest-Ploiesti road is also the direct route from the Henri Coanda International Airport in Otopeni to downtown Bucharest.

The Bucharest City Hall said in a statement that setting up the new bus lane on Monday morning was just a test, which was aimed at identifying the hot spots of the special lane. The project will be implemented after the school year is over. Until then, there will be no restrictions on the Baneasa – Charles de Gaulle Square segment.

“I asked all the institutions involved to start this project when the traffic is lower, namely when the students’ holiday begins. Until then, we’ll take all the complementary measures to ensure the effectiveness of this project, namely both the public information component, and the supplementation of local and traffic police officers at intersections,” said Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea.

Creating special bus lanes is part of the City Hall’s plan to ease the traffic in Bucharest, alongside the purchase of new buses and trams, and the expansion of the smart traffic light system.

“Mobility studies clearly show that the implementation of special lanes generates a 20% increase in bus speed and a reduction of up to 25% in waiting times in stations,” Firea also said.

Bucharest City Hall also plans to build park & ride parking lots at the entry in Bucharest, so those from outside the capital who come to work in Bucharest can leave their cars there and take a bus.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com