Coronavirus may bring development to Budapest in an unexpected area. After many other European cities, the city administration of Budapest is now planning the temporary expansion of cycling routes due to the epidemic. These two things are related to the fact that people are reluctant to use public transport for fear of infection, car is not an option for everyone, and the „stay home” messages has halved road traffic.

The solution seems to be easy: car lanes that were previously inaccessible to cyclists can now be opened to bikes. The Hungarian Cycling Club has previously proposed this to the mayor, and now, from the beginning of April, the city administration is embarking on a rapid transformation. There is no official information yet on which routes will be affected, but probably they will be the missing suburban and inner city connections, the routes that best serve traffic attenuation purposes, those that can be transformed quick and cost-effectively, and probably routes to replace underground replacement buses will also be given priority.

Such areas can be Baross Street, Vágóhíd Street, Tétényi Road, Dohány Street or the Belgrád Quay; but Nagykörút (where tram 4-6 circulates) is also a perfect venue for testing temporary bike lanes. And in fact, this is not the first bike-friendly decision of the city: the monthly fee of the Bubi public bike system was reduced to a symbolic 100 Forints 3 weeks ago.