Modern public transport in the regions13 November 2007
The calls for applications published today support safe and fast public transport in towns and the establishment of conditions for high standard passenger services. Community public transport investments can be launched in the near future with the assistance of EU co-financing of 12 billion HUF.
Recent trends indicate an on-going decline of public transport use in favour of car travel. This results in congested traffic conditions and the increasing loading of the environment in metropolitan areas, in spite of how establishing quality living conditions is a priority task of cities. One way to achieve this is to promote public transport use away from individual car use.
The regions may invest 60 billion HUF in the development of community transport within the framework of the New Hungary Development Plan over the course of the upcoming seven years.
The calls for applications that have just been published support the implementation of investments of 12 billion HUF in value in the South Great Plain, North Great Plan, South Transdanubia, West Pannon and Central Hungary region. This rate of funding is five times the rate of available resources allocated for the same objective within the framework of NDP I.
Within the framework of the programme, funding is ensured for the construction of bus stations and bus stops, establishing bus hubs and bus lanes, passenger information and IT systems, as well as for developing the infrastructure facilitating bus transport for persons with disabilities.
The way that the transit traffic running through the stretches of the public road network in settlements causes problems for pedestrian traffic is serious problem in the South Transdanubia region. The region therefore supports, amongst others, the construction of pedestrian walkways, traffic buffers and junctions.
The Central Hungary region has published calls for applications for the development of traffic control systems, parking lots and junctions, as well as transport along the Danube. The latter programme offers the opportunity to develop the docks of passenger boats running according to schedule.
Beneficiaries: local governments, the Hungarian Roads Management Company, organisations with public service contracts and in100% state or local government ownership, as well as applicant business organisation in partnership with the former.
18 transport projects received a share of assistance of approximately 2.4 billion HUF within the framework of RDOP during the period of National Development Plan I. New bus stations were built in, amongst others, Baja and Balasagyarmat. A new traffic control system was introduced in Pécs, and a new bus lane improves and speeds up the traffic flow along Kerepesi Road in Budapest.