The closure of road traffic on DN7 – Valea Oltului, between July 8 and August 9, during the day, for works on the Sibiu – Pitesti highway, will affect tourism in the city of Sibiu – the former European Cultural Capital, but also in the county that was the European Gastronomic Region and it will not be a “too good” image exercise for Romania either, tourism specialists declared for Agerpres on Thursday.
The closure of traffic on the Olt Valley would affect tourism in Sibiu PHOTO Archive
The closing of DN7 in the height of the holiday season takes place exactly when Sibiu has “most foreign tourists, groups and individuals“, says Simina Manea, executive director of the County Tourism Association (AJTS).
“Although the Destination of Sibiu remains connected with the south of the country via Braşov, through the two alpine routes, Transfăgărăşan and Transalpina, and other access routes recommended by navigation applications, this spontaneous decision of the Government to close the Olt Valley will have a negative impact on the quality travel in Romania. It is regrettable that exactly the two months of the year dedicated to vacations were chosen, in which the mobility between the regions of the country is the greatest, from the Capital towards urban and rural tourist destinations, sea – mountain. These are the months when we have the most foreign tourists, groups and individuals, who will be faced with changing their visiting itineraries and much more time spent in traffic“, stated Simina Manea.
Adela Dadu, former marketing manager of AJTS Sibiu and one of the best-known local guides, estimates that the most affected will be the tourists who will arrive at Bucharest airport by plane, and then they will have problems with the bus transfer to Sibiu. And the cost of vacations will increase, because the road bypass routes DN1 Sibiu – Braşov or Transfăgărăşanul mean more kilometers traveled.
“Yes, it affects tourism, definitely. The most difficult will be for mass tourism, tourists who come in circuits, by coach. Most of them arrive at Bucharest airport and transfer to Sibiu or vice versa, return to Bucharest. If the Olt Valley is closed, they will have to choose the Transfăgărăşan or Braşov route, which will make traffic even more difficult. The increase in traffic on these routes, including buses, but also with many more cars, will lead to traffic jams and even accidents. The duration of these transfers will increase and affect the entire program of tourists, and the costs for carriers will be higher. For individual tourists who make the transfer to and from Bucharest, a good option is rail transport. Due to the fact that this decision was not communicated in time, many will be taken by surprise and will have to find all kinds of solutions. It will not be a very good image exercise for Romania“, tourist guide Adela Dadu told Agerpres.
And the National Association of Travel Agencies disapproves of the Romanian state’s decision to close the Râmnicu Vâlcea – Sibiu national road in the middle of the tourist season, starting on July 8, for a month. ANAT believes that such works, otherwise welcome, should be scheduled in the off-season, after October 1, to minimize the impact on traffic and tourists. Currently, these restrictions seriously affect the flow of travelers to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, as well as internal circulation in Romania, but also to Central and Western Europe, according to the press release sent by the association.
In addition, the road transporters requested the authorities to apply traffic restrictions on the Olt Valley and on the Bridge between Giurgiu and Ruse during the time intervals in which the lowest traffic values are recorded, reports the National Union of Transporters from Romania (UNTRR).
“The diversion of high-tonnage traffic onto less adapted alternative roads will create an additional risk for road safety in areas that are not prepared to handle the volume of road transport with trucks from the Olt Valley“, it is mentioned in the document published by UNTRR.
In this context, the transporters request the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and CNAIR to intensify operations and apply traffic restrictions in time intervals in which the lowest traffic values are recorded in the Olt Valley, and for road traffic on the Bridge between Giurgiu and Ruse to carry out this so as not to reach even longer waiting times as at present – trucks often wait 36 hours to enter Romania.
Also, the decision to close the Olt Valley and restrict traffic on the Giurgiu – Ruse bridge would also deeply affect road transport in Romania.
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Sorin Grindeanu, announced on Wednesday, in a press conference, that between July 8 and August 9, traffic on the Olt Valley will be closed during the day, for works on the Sibiu – Pitesti highway.
