One of your colleagues said you got stuck in traffic on the way to this interview. Has the traffic situation in the capital not improved even with the arrival of summer?
The traffic situation in Budapest is straight out of an apocalyptic movie. During the summer break, the traffic jams are even worse than during the school year. It's practically impossible to plan how long it will take to get from point A to point B. Not to mention that pedestrians and cyclists are breathing exhaust fumes in the sweltering heat because the city is at a standstill. Meanwhile, Gergely Karacsony and his team seem to care about everything except addressing real problems. This bankrupt city administration can organize a Pride event, but they are completely incapable of coordinating construction projects or managing public transport.
Karacsony would probably respond that life is just like that in a big city – c’est la vie.
I think people expect more from a mayor than just shrugging his shoulders. They want someone who will keep the city running.
He received a constructive proposal from your side.
We proposed that the Chain Bridge and the lower embankment on the Pest side should be opened to traffic during the daytime. No one wants to sit in a traffic jam in 40-degree heat, and because of the scorching weather, the embankment is completely deserted, with no pedestrians in sight. Gergely Karacsony and the Tisza Party–David Vitezy group didn’t even want to hear about it. But let’s be honest, it’s a simple situation: fewer cars would have to navigate downtown closures if more of them could use the embankment stretch.
However, they did vote for the city’s much-criticized budget. How do you explain that?
Let’s be accurate: the alliance including Gergely Karacsony, the Tisza Party, David Vitezy and the Democratic Coalition (DK) simply reapproved the same bankrupt budget as before, with a few cosmetic tweaks. They are in full agreement on all the major issues. What we occasionally see is just some elbowing around the gravy train.