Debrecen4U May 29, 2026

Further Section of Piac Street to Become Pedestrian Zone at Weekends

Entertainment and leisure opportunities, hospitality venues and events were on the agenda at the city council meeting. Mayor László Papp spoke about how more and more public spaces in the city are becoming lively, with many people spending their evenings in outdoor seating areas.

He also announced that from mid-July until the end of August, an additional section of Piac Street, from the junction of Kossuth Street and Széchenyi Street to Arany János Street, will become a pedestrian zone at weekends. Vehicle access to this section will be prohibited from Friday evening until Sunday evening.

As he explained, he would personally have preferred this measure to apply throughout the entire summer. However, due to renovation works on the downtown section of Tram Line 1, replacement buses will be operating along this route, and he felt it would make little sense to ban cars while a bus passes through every five minutes.

According to the mayor, DKV will begin the works at the end of June and is expected to complete them by 12 July. Following this, the pedestrian street regulation may come into effect on the section between the Small Reformed Church and the former McDonald’s corner building.

The mayor also noted that the refurbishment of flower beds and green areas has already begun along this section, with nearly 9,000 plants to be installed, while efforts will also be made to organise events in the area. He hopes this will encourage more people to visit local hospitality venues.

He added that, since the inner ring road has now been completed, this section of Piac Street could theoretically remain car-free throughout the year. However, any decision on this will be based on practical experience. It was also stated that traffic will still be permitted on Arany János Street, allowing vehicles to turn onto Piac Street from there.

Deputy Mayor Diána Széles added that this measure could also help reduce pressure on the Nagyerdő area, which has become increasingly crowded at weekends, thereby helping to distribute visitors more evenly across the city.

Source and photo credit: dehir.hu