VIEWS ON FORECASTS, TRAFFIC FLOWS AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS IN HUNGARY

Some years after the end of central planning in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), decision makers in the region have made significant progress in building bridges to market economics. In the course of the transition, each country has followed its own path. Accordingly, the rapidity and ease of change have depended greatly on the political environment in which the changes have occurred and the approach taken to economic liberalization. The path has not been without obstacles, and challenges continue to face countries in the region. The transport sector has been subject to particularly acute pressures from system users seeking faster, more efficient forms of travel, while on the supply side, the burden of inadequate infrastructure, rolling stock and equipment and lack of financing weigh heavily on transit system operators. How decision makers react to these pressures will shape transport sector development patterns for decades to come. Although it is difficult, especially given the immediacy of private transport demand and current budgetary constraints, governments must keep in mind the long-term development of the transport system in order to assure sustainable sectoral growth. Hungary, like its neighbors in the region, is shaping its transport system in order to respond to evolving passenger and freight demand. This paper examines, in general terms, how sustainable transport principles are reflected in the current development of transport policy in Hungary. It describes recent trends in the transport sector and government reactions to these trends and explores the prospects for sustainable transport.