Bucharest mayor Nicușor Dan has announced on Friday that the streets downtown the Capital city will become pedestrian starting May 29, so open for pedestrians to walk and close for cars during the weekends.
“It is an invitation for Bucharesters to go out,” the mayor said, adding that it is a pattern that other Western cities have already experienced.
“I announced the project <Open Streets>, we are launching it on May 29. There will be seven streets in Bucharest located downtown, from Kiseleff Boulevard to Calea Victoriei and Dambovita. These areas will be open for pedestrians every weekend from Saturday, 11:00hrs to Sunday, 21:00hrs.
We want to allow local communities in these areas to hold events in the public same, as well.
It is also a test for a wider programme that we have in mind for next year, namely to open central areas also with certain streets from the districts”, Nicusor Dan detailed.
The general mayor has mentioned though that public events are banned for the moment due to the pandemic. “Depending on the evolution of the situation, we’ll re-asses the possibility“, Nicusor Dan said.
ARCEN Association, that came up with this idea of turning certain streets downtown Bucharest into pedestrian areas, said the project includes 7 pedestrian zones, 34 streets and 11.66km streets that are temporarily closed to cars every Saturday and Sunday from 11:00hrs to 23:00hrs, during May 29-October 17.
Zone 1 – Ion Mihalache Bvd – Arh. Ion Mincu St – Aviatorilor – Piața Victoriei, Barbu Delavrancea St.
Zone 2 – Calea Victoriei, from Victoriei Swuare to Natiunile United Square.
–Sevastopol spre Str. Grigore Alexandrescu St.
–Gheorghe Manu St.
– Bvd. Dacia
– Știrbei Vodă St.
– Episcopiei to C.A. Rosetti and to Str. Dem I. Dobrescu St
– Ion Câmpineanu St
– Regina Elisabeta Bvd
Zone 3 – Calea Victoriei – Dacia Bvd – D.I. Mendeleev – George Clemenceau St– Episcopiei St, totally on Biserica Amzei St, Piața Amzei and G-ral Christian Tell St;
Zone 4 – Episcopiei – George Enescu – Gh. Magheru – C.A. Rosetti – Calea Victoriei, no cars on Benjamin Franklin, Nicolae Golescu and Anastasie Simu streets;
Zone 5 – Bvd Gh. Magheru – George Enescu – Piața Lahovari – Dacia – Aurel Vlaicu – Icoanei – I.L. Caragiale – Str. Maria Rosetti, with cars restricted on J.L. Calderon, Maria Rosetti and Dumbrava Roșie, Dumbrava Roșie, J.L. Calderon, Aurel Vlaicu, Pitar Moș, C.A. Rosetti Str. Dionisie Lupu, Pictor Arthur Verona, A.D. Xenopol and from Dionisie Lupu and Gh. Magheru, and also onG-ral Eremia Grigorescu between Gh. Cantacuzino square and Lahovari Square; cars will be allowed on Polonă, A.D. Xenopol and Dionisie Lupu streets.
Zone 6 – Calea Victoriei – Splaiul Independenței – Anghel Saligny –Lipscani – Ion Brezoianu – Domnița Anastasia – Eforie, cars banned from Lipscani, Calea Victoriei and Ion Brezoianu, on Domnița Anastasia between Calea Victoriei and Eforie st, and totally on Mihai Vodă st, Ilfov, nginer Guglielmo Marconi and Dumitru Râureanu;
Zone 7 – I.C. Brătianu – Str. Halelor – Splaiul Independenței – Calea Victoriei – Regina Elisabeta, with cars restricted Doamnei street, from I.C. Brătianu and Calea Victoriei, on Academiei st between Doamnei and Regina Elisabeta and on Ion Ghica from I.C. Brătianu and Doamnei.