Bucharest Invests in Eco-Friendly Measures

Authorities in Romania’s capital have announced plans to install solar panels on a street in Bucharest, in a move aimed not just to cut power costs but also to make the city more eco-friendly.

“We plan to invest around 2.5 million lei [600,000 euro] in order to install solar panels in Bucharest. The first step will be made on a street in the downtown area,” Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu said. “The first panels will lead to a cut in power costs by around 30 per cent,” he added.

Oprescu also announced plans to refurbish and extend bike lanes in the capital as a way to cut pollution levels and protect the environment.

Many parts of Bucharest are still grey and polluted, as in recent years green spaces gave way to new businesses, with high-rise office buildings and large commercial centres being built at the price of razing what is left of the city’s heritage.

Furthermore, the public transport system remains poor and traffic can often be a nightmare; with so many cars on the road air quality is less than ideal for the capital’s two million inhabitants.

“We need a healthy environment in Bucharest and more bicycles paths will lead towards higher comfort for residents,” Oprescu said. There are curerntly only around 50 km of bike lanes in Bucharest.

More and more people in Bucharest have started to ride bikes to work or in their free time in recent years, and a free bike sharing system has been established. Various non-governmental groups have also created bike sharing and bike rental outlets in other major Romanian cities.