Bucharest traffic
Edited by: Emanuela Matei
Bucharest is a city suffocated by cars
Transport activities represent the most important source of air quality degradation in Bucharest. They are also a problem for environmental quality. At the level of 2020, there were 1,502,169 vehicles registered in Bucharest. All of these emit noise during operation. The main pollutants associated with road traffic are nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. The most intense traffic is registered between the hours of 7.00 – 10.00 and 16.00 – 20.00, associated with transport to educational institutions, workplaces and homes. On Fridays and Sundays, high traffic values occur at the exits to the highways and national roads between 16.00 and 20.00.
Sources of air quality degradation associated with transport activities
In Bucharest in 2020 there were approximately 1,840,000 vehicles, of which:
- 1,502,169 vehicles registered in Bucharest
- 200,000 Motor vehicles with provincial number plates, currently circulating in the capital
- 136,700 vehicles that transit the capital daily
The fuel they use is the following:
- 1,204,201 Cars:
- 54% gasoline
- 43.5% diesel
- 0.5% electric
- 2% hybrid
- 165,647 Vehicles transporting goods
- 11.2% gasoline
- 88.7% diesel
- 0.1% electric
- 50,937 Trailers and semi-trailers
- 28,990 Motorcycles and mopeds
- 99.4% gasoline
- 0.3% diesel
- 0.3% electric
- 27,562 Tractor units
- 100% diesel
- 11,862 Vehicles for special purposes
- 15% gasoline
- 85% diesel
- 10.012 Buses and minibuses
- 0.5% gasoline
- 98% diesel
- 1.5% hybrid
- 2,958 Tractors
- 0.7% gasoline
- 99.3% diesel
Sources of air quality degradation in the City of Bucharest
According to studies, road transport is the main cause of air quality degradation. The pollutants obtained from road, air and rail transport are:
- Nitrogen oxides
- Carbon monoxide
- Volatile organic compounds
- Suspended particles
- Freon
- aerosol
- Carbon monoxide
- According to Law no. 104/15.06.2011 on the quality of the surrounding air, for carbon monoxide, the maximum daily value of 8-hour averages is 10 mg/m3.
- Noise characteristic of areas with very intense road traffic in the city of Bucharest
- Sulfur dioxide
- According to Law no. 104/15.06.2011 on the quality of the surrounding air, for sulfur dioxide, the hourly limit value is 350 μg/m3, and the annual limit value is 20 μg/m3.
- The use of diesel fuel with a very low sulfur content has determined a significant decrease in the importance of road traffic in sulfur dioxide pollution.
- Other damages
- For benzene, the main source is represented by road traffic and activities that transport these substances.
- Lead and volatile organic compounds (V.O.V.) are the main source of these noxes is road traffic.
Transport infrastructure in the City of Bucharest
The city of Bucharest is Romania’s most important road, rail and air hub. It is connected to 3 highways (A1, A2 and A3), 8 national roads, 11 county roads, 6 railway highways and 1 international airport.
The total length of the streets is 3,432 km, of which 2,558 km are modernized. The street network consists of:
- category I streets — main roads (boulevards or roads with at least six lanes), which ensure the connection of the central area of the city with the national and county network
- second category streets — connecting streets (have at least four lanes), which make the connections between the functional areas of the city and residential spaces
- category III streets – collection streets (have at least two lanes), which take over the flows from the functional areas and ensure the relationship between category I and II streets
- category IV streets — for local use, which ensure access to living spaces and current services
Parking spaces in Bucharest
The 6 sector town halls reported a total stock of residential parking spaces below 200,000 for the whole of Bucharest. Of these:
- 1,978 places are located in zone 0 (central zone)
- 10,852 seats in zone 1 (median zone)
- 5,818 places in zone 2 (peripheral zone)
New shopping centers, new buildings usually provide their own parking spaces. The acute shortage of parking spaces in the city of Bucharest is compensated by the use of traffic lanes, sidewalks, green spaces or some lands with an uncertain regime.
Parking lots become an important factor that contributes to:
- traffic congestion and the appearance of blockages, which significantly disrupt road traffic;
- city crowding and partial or total occupation of pedestrian traffic areas;
- the increase in the level of insecurity in the city of Bucharest, being a factor that contributes to the occurrence of accidents;
- the emergence of conflicts related to the use of parking spaces;
- affecting the quantity and quality of green spaces, as parking lots have a significant contribution to the abolition of proximity green spaces, but also of some components of parks;
- increase in thermal discomfort during the summer, when parked vehicles accumulate heat and accentuate local thermal discomfort;
- increasing the exposure of the population to pollutants associated with road traffic, by creating proximity parking lots;
- hindering the sanitation activities of the circulation spaces, a fact that significantly contributes to the maintenance of high levels of suspended particles, the obstruction of sewers and other problems.
Transport activities represent the most important source of air quality degradation in Bucharest. The main pollutants are: nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds.
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