Tatabánya on the ride... Get on the bike!
Tatabánya has grown from a former mining town into a green metropolis with numerous parks and 65,000 inhabitants. The municipality places great importance on ensuring that, despite the industrial park, nearby quarry, and heavy car traffic, the town remains clean, environmentally friendly and liveable. This was the message from Mayor Ilona Szücsné Posztovics at the ceremonial launch of Tatabánya's community bicycle system (T-Bike) on 30 May 2024, at the Tulipános House.
The LIFE IP HungAIRy project, "Improving air quality at eight Hungarian regions through the implementation of air quality plan measures” aims to address one of the most pressing environmental issues by air quality improvement in 10 Hungarian municipalities across 8 regions. This will be achieved through the development of decision-support and air quality modelling tools, the installation of new air quality monitoring stations, the revision of air quality plans, awareness-raising activities, local pilot measures and the operation of a national network of advisors, called eco-managers.
Tatabánya is also participating in this project, which ends on 31 December 2026, with two initiatives: the T-Bike community bicycle system and three mobile micro-sensor air quality monitoring stations.
Mayor Ilona Szücsné Posztovics emphasized the dual importance of cycling: it has health benefits and significantly reduces environmental pollution by encouraging people to switch from cars to bicycles.
The development of the cycling network has already been implemented, and in 2020, the Tatabánya - Tata section was awarded the title of Bicycle Route of the Year. Those who enjoy sports or hiking can cycle from Oroszlány via Tatabánya to Dunaalmás.
The T-Bike system offers 25 mechanical and 25 electric (pedelec) bicycles to residents and visitors at 75 hybrid docking stations across six locations. The trial operation of the system started in April, involving the Mayor's Office of the County City of Tatabánya, staff from the Komárom-Esztergom County Police Headquarters and students from Árpád High School in Tatabánya. During the introductory period, which lasted until 31 May, riders could choose from four types of tickets. Live operation begins on 3 June.
Additionally, Tatabánya has implemented three mobile micro-sensor air quality monitoring stations to provide a more accurate picture of air pollution in the area. These stations help identify the areas most in need of new air quality measures.
The stations contain six sensors and are powered by both solar panels and built-in batteries. The mobile air quality monitors can be mounted on electric poles or flat roofs.
The two projects are linked, as the T-Bike website always displays the current air quality data for the day.
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