Beginning in January, Szeged will impose financial penalties on anyone who rides an electric scooter, or other motorized leisure or sports device through areas reserved for pedestrians or across green spaces, or who leaves their vehicle parked in a way that endangers others. The decision was approved at Friday’s city assembly meeting through an amendment to the local rules on community coexistence.
Under the new regulation, such devices may not be used on pedestrian paths, pedestrian zones, or on the pedestrian-designated portions of mixed-use foot- and cycleways. Administrative fines may also be issued to users who block safe passage, including those who leave their vehicles on guidance strips for blind and visually impaired people.
Deputy mayor József Binszki said that during the initial phase, offenders will only receive warnings; fines up to 200,000 forints will be applied only if the warnings fail to bring results.
Another amendment makes the installation and operation of electric charging stations subject to fees. In the city centre’s most restricted zone, hospitality terraces will be allowed to stay open until 1am on weekends instead of midnight.
The assembly also adopted Szeged’s heat-island mitigation strategy and created a 40-million-forint grant fund to support related investments by residents, housing communities and local businesses.
Property owners in the city’s garden plot areas will now be able to request that their land be officially removed from agricultural classification.
The municipality will apply for funding to modernize three kindergartens and one nursery school, enabling a comprehensive renovation worth 1.857 billion forints. Using EU funds, Szeged also plans to develop its stormwater system by creating rain gardens, infiltration ditches and soakaway fields in four districts to retain more incoming water locally.
Szeged will join the ‘science-friendly cities’ initiative launched for the bicentennial of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
The assembly also decided to open applications for the directorship of the Móra Ferenc Museum, as the mandate of current director Ottó Fogas expires next May.
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