Bacău and Iași mayors clash over bicycle lane promotional banners

A political dispute has emerged between the mayors of Bacău and Iași following the placement of banners at the entrances to Iași. The banners, installed by the Bacău City Hall, invite residents of Iași to visit Bacău for cycling, stating: “No more bicycle lanes in Iași? Come to Bacău, we have 44 km.”

This action follows the removal of bicycle lanes in Iași in July, a decision made by the Iași municipality because the lanes, which were located on sidewalks, no longer complied with new police regulations.

Lucian Viziteu, the mayor of Bacău, defended the move, stating it is not a political attack but a promotional campaign for his city that might also encourage the Iași administration to build new lanes.

Mihai Chirica, the mayor of Iași, criticized the gesture as “gratuitous malice” and an “useless and insulting image exercise” used to compensate for a lack of concrete results. Chirica further questioned Bacău's management of funds, noting that Bacău has attracted five times less European funding than Iași or Cluj-Napoca.