Traffic, public transportation and parks are the top three issues in the projects of the main candidates running in the Bucharest general mayor election: independent Sorin Oprescu, Democrat-Liberal Vasile Blaga, Liberal Ludovic Orban and Social-Democrat Cristian Diaconescu. Even if their opinions on how to make traffic in Bucharest normal differ slightly, all these candidates are taking it for priority. They have got interesting projects that make a difference, but they have also got nonsensical proposals. Liberal-Democrat Vasile Blagais thinking about settling the traffic problem by closing the 3 main rings so that the central area would be available. He has also mentioned a plan such as the building of three passage ways in the most crowded cross roads. There is also an objective such as to achieve a highway surrounding Bucharest so that the cars to cross the city can avoid the city center. As for Sorin Oprescu, he is planning to expand underground lines, improve the means of public transportation and make new routes. In order to male traffic more efficient, he is pleading for the implementation of IT systems to monitor public transport. Sorin Oprescu has also proposed European standards for cab services. Liberal Ludovic Orban too has made some promises to make traffic in Bucharest normal: about 30 underground passage ways and special parking areas, a new underground line to connect the west to the center of the city. In his project there is mentioned his intention is to invest 700 million Euro in it and have it ready by 2014. His promise is relying on the fact that Bucharest inhabitants have got to travel by underground more and more to avoid the nightmare of travelling by their own cars. Social-Democrat Cristian Diaconescu is thinking about the making of a "green line" to surround Bucharest and be reached by a special tube. He claims that people could thus go to various parts of the city without crossing the centre. He has also pleaded for more parking areas, intelligent traffic lights and a fast corridor program, as well as one more underground line. Campaign nonsense One idea of Vasile Blaga's is that the Bucharest Underground would become subordinate to the City Hall so that, if elected a general mayor, he will see that three new lines are ready by 2012. Still he has got no certainty that the government will decide that the City Hall will take over the Bucharest Underground. It is all related to his hope that the Liberal-Democrat Party will win elections and make the government by the end of the year. Suspended highway The independent candidate has got a peculiar approach to how Bucharest traffic can become normal: the building of a suspended highway, a "cheap" solution to be achieved in two years, he claims. As for the so many homeless dogs in the city, he promises doubtable measures: microchips to make them easy to detect. His projects also includes points on cheaper water, gases and electricity and the use of the "geo-thermal potential in the city underground". Bucharest, a harbour on the Danube A very hard to trust project is the one promoted by Liberal Ludovic Orban: to turn Bucharest into a harbour on the Danube in the next five years. He argues this is achievable if the Danube-Bucharest Canal is completed, which would cost about 450 million Euro. The candidate thinks it would help tourism develop and prevent the flooding of localities and lands in the region. Malls close to the city One of the Social-Democrat candidate's plans impossible to carry out is his wish to plant "green curbs" along all the roads, meaning no less than 600,000 trees. Another think he pursues is to take malls out of the city and demolish all the illegal buildings. This is difficult to achieve, given the suspicion on the legal grounds of buildings higher than 20 floors in the centre of Bucharest. (D.P.)