One month ago, I attended an event titled “Traffic Safety in Cluj-Napoca”. The event was framed as a discussion between city officials, law enforcement, and civic representatives to address road safety concerns in Cluj-Napoca, which came off the back of the “Meet the Mayor” event held in December 2024, where I raised this topic to Cluj-Napoca Mayor, Emil Boc.
The meeting, which took place at the Centrul de Inovare și Imaginație Civică, was presented as a platform for discussing practical solutions to make the city safer for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and those who use scooters and mopeds. Vice Mayor Dan Tarcea shared his optimism, emphasising commitment to a safer city with modern infrastructure and preventive measures to reduce accidents. However, despite the rhetoric and apparent goodwill, there has been no tangible change.
Another Reckless Incident
Fast forward one month, and we see yet another dangerous, high-speed crash making headlines. On Calea Dorobanților, at 2:15 AM, a pair of drivers, reportedly racing, lost control of their vehicles, smashing into a public lighting pole. The pole collapsed, sparks flying, barely missing a nearby building. Two pedestrians had a narrow escape, and one person was hospitalised as a result. Mayor Emil Boc responded with a strongly worded statement:
‼️ SPEED KILLS ‼️
Last night, at 2:15 AM on Calea Dorobanților, a moment of recklessness could have turned into a major tragedy!
Due to excessive speed, some irresponsible drivers lost control of their vehicles, destroyed a public lighting pole, and one person ended up in the hospital. Two other people were just a step away from being injured!
This accident is clear proof that traffic rules are not optional!
It’s not just about you—it’s about the safety of everyone around you.
Carelessness, recklessness, and a lack of respect for the law can cost innocent lives.
We will work closely with the authorities to ensure that such behavior does not go unpunished. Traffic responsibility is essential—speeding and recklessness have no place on our roads!
I make a strong appeal to all drivers: respect the law, respect life!
Before you press the accelerator, think about those who might suffer due to a moment of irresponsibility.
Take care of yourselves and other road users! 🚦🚑
While such statements make for good social media engagement, they do little to address the reality: speeding and reckless driving continue to plague Cluj-Napoca's streets, and the supposed measures discussed in the February meeting have yet to materialise.
The Unchanging Status Quo
Back in December 2024, I wrote two articles about road safety on this site:
- Culture of Road Users in Cluj-Napoca: Speeding, Wrong Direction
- Coincidence or Progress? Romania’s First Fixed Speed Cameras Arrive Just as Cluj-Napoca’s Road Safety Debate Gains Traction
The same problems I highlighted back then remain unchanged today. Despite continued accidents, reckless driving, and blatant disregard for road rules, we have seen no meaningful enforcement improvements. Red-light or speed enforcement cameras, a widely accepted solution in other European countries, are still considered “a privacy issue” in Romania. This was reiterated during the February 6th meeting.
Instead of tackling the real issue—motorists disregarding red lights and basic traffic laws—the authorities chose to point fingers at pedestrians and pat themselves on the back for “a job well done”, claiming that Cluj-Napoca is one of the safest cities in Europe and that pedestrians were the primary cause of accidents due to “the majority of accidents on the roads were caused by pedestrians crossing in places they shouldn't”.
This deflection of responsibility highlights a fundamental problem in the way road safety is approached in Cluj-Napoca. If the numbers say there's not a problem, then there must be no problem, right? Well, if they're not actively tackling speeding and illegal driving behaviour, which can be seen by anyone walking around the city with their own eyes, how can their numbers be accurate?
No Response, No Action
I personally reached out to Vice Mayor Dan Tarcea following our meeting, providing videos and images of repeat offenses occurring just two minutes on foot from City Hall. These messages have gone unanswered, despite him inviting me to send such content to him, and the same reckless behaviour continues daily in the exact same locations.
If city officials and law enforcement claim that Cluj-Napoca is one of the safest cities in Europe, why do accidents like the recent Calea Dorobanților crash keep happening? Why are traffic violations so rampant, with little consequence for those responsible?
What Needs to Change?
- Enforcement of existing laws – Red-light running, reckless speeding, and illegal racing should carry immediate and severe consequences.
- Implementation of traffic cameras – Red-light and speed cameras are not an invasion of privacy; they are a necessity for deterrence.
- A shift in focus – Authorities need to stop blaming pedestrians and relying on “comfortable statistics” and start addressing the real dangers: reckless drivers and disregard to public safety.
- Action over words – Public statements about safety mean nothing without concrete measures to back them up.
It’s time for Cluj-Napoca to move beyond dialogue and into action. The citizens of this city deserve safer streets, and that will only happen when the authorities decide to take real, effective measures instead of congratulating themselves for statistics which show things in a different light and not what we see with our own eyes.
