Driving

Thinking of driving in Bucharest? We wish you well, for it goes without saying that driving in Bucharest (or even being driven), is, for a number of reasons, an appalling experience.

For of all the capital cities of Europe, none has an urban street network as bad as Bucharest. The road surfaces are just terrible, and few of the city’s main arteries are free of potholes, and even some of the most important streets in the capital (B-dul Unirii, B-dul Bratianu) are in very poor condition.

All of which does not help the biggest problem in the city, the volume of traffic. Since 1990, the number of cars in Bucharest has increased tenfold, but no new roads have been built, widened or extended in that time, and the city is approaching gridlock.

The rush hour is just impossible, while some routes are clogged with traffic all day (Splaiul Independentei, Calea Victoriei, Piata Unrii, B-dul Balcescu, B-dul Magheru, Piata Romana and Piata Victoriei).

Pedestrians are seen as a pain in the neck, and, even if the right of way is theirs, drivers will not stop. Drivers do not respect traffic lights, nor do they see anything wrong in both driving on and parking on the pavement.

More on Driving in Romania here.