Bucharest Mayor: We believe that a city center tax will be imposed to decongest the auto traffic

General Mayor of Bucharest, Gabriela Firea, said that it is possible to set a city center fee for environmental and heritage buildings protection in Bucharest, but only after implementing a set of measures designed to decongest the car traffic, appropriate public consultation and an opinion poll on the subject. 

"In connection with the possibility of establishing a central tax in the capital, we also discussed with the Deputy Prime Minister. The Capital City Hall is now undertaking the air quality plan. We have very polluted areas, this is well known, we can't continue this way, but we don't want to bring too hard measures to the population until we implement the other objectives, namely the renewal of the car park, new buses, trams, trolleybuses and electric buses. Also at least the parking lots in neighborhoods, the lightweight parking facilities we are going to build in the busiest areas in the center of the capital, the construction of bicycle paths for non-polluting alternative transport," said Gabriela Firea at the conference The major strategic investment projects that can develop Romania, held at Parliament House, Agerpres reports.

The Bucharest Mayor added that this tax would be reached after all these measures would be implemented, after a proper public consultation with the city halls, the apartment owners' associations and an opinion poll. 

"We believe that a center tax will be imposed to protect the environment for the protection of heritage buildings in the capital," Firea said. 

She added that she could not now specify the amount of this tax, because it would be calculated and reported to the living standard in the capital. 

"We can't afford anymore what is happening now. We have a lot of junker cars in Bucharest, we can't take all the measures that we should take in terms of depollution, citizens would like to use public transport, but it is not a quality one," Firea added.