With a few exceptions – mainly the most visited tourist and shopping destinations – parking will be free in the Hungarian capital until January 2, the Budapest Transport Center told Mandiner.
Budapest has a population of 1.76 million and data from the Central Statistics Office (KSH) show that in the past five years the number of passenger cars has increased by almost 68,000 to 633,554 at the end of last year.
Although the Hungarian capital has a very good public transport system by European standards, car usage is constantly rising despite fuel prices and ever increasing parking fees. The author of this article – not a Budapest resident himself – was at some point in the recent past the house guest of a friend in the capital. Seeing an overcast sky, he asked his host to lend him an umbrella for the day.
“I don’t own an umbrella. I have a car,” came the reply.
