Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan bets on big projects to save face and get reelected

Bucharest mayor Nicuşor Dan plans to speed up several important projects to solve some of the city’s traffic and infrastructure problems as he aims to get a new term in 2024. After two years on the job, three-quarters of the city’s residents are disappointed by his performance.

Setting up intelligent traffic lights throughout the city, creating a surface metro line, and rehabilitating 50 kilometers of tram lines are three of the major infrastructure projects that the Bucharest City Hall plans to undertake in the near future, mayor Nicuşor Dan said in a recent interview with Digi24 TV. He added that these projects are due to be finalized by 2024.

Another essential infrastructure project for Capital is the A0 motorway (Bucharest’s new ring road), which is under the coordination of the Transport Ministry.

“We still have the A0 motorway and we also have a joint project with the Ilfov County Council and the Ministry of Transportation, some big exits to be built up to the A0 motorway, in order to take the pressure off certain high-demand boulevards, such as the Magheru Boulevard,” said Nicușor Dan.

The mayor also spoke about his plan with regard to the city’s parking issues, stating that “the solution for Bucharest is, in my opinion, and there is political agreement on this, a parking fee which is proportional to the importance of the public place where you are parking, and our strategy goes in that direction.” He did not reveal the value of these parking fees, explaining that a decision has yet to be made by the General Council and that this decision will be made soon.

Asked if he would like to serve a second term, Nicușor Dan said that he would, but that the possibility of being re-elected in the future is less important than focusing on the current state of things: “I'm a polite man and I answer questions when I'm asked. Do I want a second term? I do, but that's not what's important. What is important is that I respond to the expectations of the people of Bucharest. I want to do as many things as possible to solve the problems of the citizens of Bucharest.”

According to a recent survey conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS), which asked participants to rate how they believe things are going in the country, and in the capital specifically, a majority of people said they were disappointed with Nicușor Dan.