Urbs - Magyar várostörténeti évkönyv 2. (Budapest, 2007)

Abstracts

PÉTER KALOCSAI Urban Transport, Network, and Mass Transit in Western Hungary: Sopron and Szombathely, 1867-1914 Besides pedestrians and equestrians, horse-drawn vehicles and bicycles also played a role in the urban transport of Szombathely and Sopron in the last third of the 19"

1 century. It was from the turn of the century that power-driven means of transport tramways, automobiles, motorcycles, and lorries - appeared on the streets of these towns. Due to modernization, horse-drawn vehicles slowly gave way to power-driven transportation. At the beginning of the era, urban transport was little regulated. Vehicles followed the "keep to the left, overtake on the right" rule. Representative bodies tried to define segments of the local traffic code by specific statutes concerning hackney-coaches, omnibuses, bicycles, etc. They required vehicles to be lit up during the night, prohibited the practice of leaving horse-drawn vehicles unattended, etc. Upon local initiatives, in both towns the first traffic signs - "ride slowly", prohibiting fast riding - were erected as early as the 19

lh century. In the Dualistic era, these urbanized towns of relatively small populations were leading in terms of their public transportation services in Hungary. In many considerable towns, such as the incorporated municipalities of Kecskemet or Hódmezővásárhely, no means of public transport was available for residents. In Győr, an omnibus line operated, but for only a short period of time as it was underutilized. In both Sopron and Szombathely, the local public transport was first set up to connect the centre and the railway station through omnibuses even before the period studied. By the end of the 19

n century, these two important towns of Western Hungary managed to build tramway lines, the most modern surface means of public transport in the period. For some time, there were two means of public transport available for the residents' disposal in both towns: omnibuses and tramways. Public transport was limited to the main traffic lines, as other lines were not expected to make profit. Nonetheless, the main lines connected the most important public institutions, schools, railway stations, the market, etc. Although in both towns omnibuses and tramways covered only the main traffic lines and did not transport passengers all over, one can still talk about a public transport network. The contemporary local press reported numerous plans and proposals for line extensions that were eventually not carried out. The leadership of both towns seized the opportunities to support public transport within the limits of their financial means - by waiving road user charges, offering tax exemption, etc. The right of passenger transport in both towns was conceded to private entrepreneurs and companies. Neither of the towns ventured to make public transport investments on their own, given the high costs of, for example, building an electric tramway line. Neither of them was in the position to cover the costs of modernization