Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo. (source: SME - Jozef Jakubčo)
Along with Sofia, Bulgaria, Bratislava remains the poorest capital of the European Union. The shame falls on several Slovak governments, so I will try to convince any government that Bratislava, as a city of Slovaks and foreigners alike, needs more money in order to flourish, says Bratislava Mayor MATÚŠ VALLO.
What will the coalition of Smer, Hlas and SNS mean for Bratislava?
I'm the mayor of all citizens, which means I will talk with every government available for the needs of the capital.
Smer chair Robert Fico and Hlas chair Peter Pellegrini have both said many times that Bratislava is a place detached from the reality of the rest of Slovakia. One cannot really hope for normal financing or additional financing in their plans.
Together with Sofia, Bratislava remains the poorest capital of the European Union. The shame falls on several Slovak governments, so I will try to convince any government that Bratislava, as a city of Slovaks and foreigners alike, needs more money in order to flourish.
In an ideal scenario, how much would Bratislava need in terms of financing?
Bratislava lost €50 million due to various escapades of the parliament, but also because of former governments and inflation. In order to start comparing ourselves with, for example, Brno, we would have to talk about hundreds of millions of euros.
Recently, you have received criticism for introducing a cycling path on the Vajanské Nábrežie embankment. Do you consider this path a success?
The cycling path is what we have been doing for years, searching for a compromise so that we can be a city for everyone. This is a matter of saying that cyclists need space just as much as drivers, who have an alternative in the form of the eight-lane Einstein Street just 500 metres away.
We are not telling people not to drive, but to choose an alternative. Many people complain about being stuck in traffic jams for many minutes, for example between Most SNP bridge and Šafárikovo Námestie square, but they seem to forget that there has always been one lane. It has been there since 2013, so the situation has deteriorated only slightly.
Many ask why you don't show the analyses you based the decision on.
