Hungarian government talks up cycling investment before demo

Hungarian government talks up cycling investment before demo Budapest  - Government officials cycled from the Hungarian parliament building to the city centre on Tuesday morning to announce a 1.3-billion-forint
(7.10-million-dollar) community bicycle programme.

The news came as the police warned motorists to steer clear of the city centre in the evening as thousands of cyclists are expected to participate in a demonstration against what they believe is backtracking by the local council over promised cycle path development.

The prime minister's chief of staff, Csaba Molnar, said that more than a thousand bicycles will be made made available for free public use, to be picked up and dropped off at any of 73 planned cycle stations around the city.

Almost three-quarters of the funding will come from government and European Union sources, Molnar said.

Gabor Bihari, a spokesman for Critical Mass Hungary, the local arm of the global pro-cycling movement that is organizing the day's protest, welcomed the news.

He told the German Press Agency dpa that he thought it is was no coincidence that the government announcement came on the day of a high-profile demonstration.

"We very much look forward to all promises being delivered," he said, noting that many cyclists feel that this has not always happened.

As part of this year's mass bike ride to mark World Carfree Day, the organisers have called on cyclists to lock their bikes together in a gigantic chain encircling Budapest's town hall.

The protest is against a recent news of the cancellation of one of two planned cycle lanes to be laid out as part of the renovation of a major bridge across the Danube river.

"We are simply trying to remind city officials of their promises," Bihari said.(dpa)