Many tourists visit Budapest only to marvel at the city’s beauty, the crown jewel of which is the
Széchenyi Chain Bridge, that was finished in 1849. The landmark was shut down last year for some
much needed renovation – even the iconic lion statues have disappeared for some TLC. The stone beasts
returned in October, with a special twist – one of them was temporarily replaced by a life-size LEGO
statue.
The two-lane bridge usually sees bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour, so no wonder, that many
urbanites wanted cars to be banned from the bridge for decades. This might now become reality.
According to Telex some vehicles might return tot he Chain Bridge after the 16th of December, however,
civilian cars might not be among them.
Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony earlier told the news outlet that he sees quite a few reasons not to
let cars back onto the bridge. The mayor is in support of an initiative by several NGOs and climate
activists who are lobbying for only buses and bicycles to be allowed to cross the Danube at this
particular junction.
Gábor Kürti, president of the Hungarian Bicycle Club even went as far to say it would be a mistake of
historic magnitude to let cars once again have free reign over the bridge.
Anything can happen in the coming months, as the renovation will be officially finished in the second
half of 2023. But Budapest motorists might have to make peace with the fact that they are no longer
welcome on the Chain Bridge.