The Romanians' love of cars

The inhabitants of the Romanian capital should finally do something about the parking of cars on pavements, writes Rupert Wolfe Murray, a Scot living in Bucharest. "In the UK you can get arrested for parking your car on a pavement. In the Netherlands the car is towed away and confiscated. Bucharest is probably the only capital in the EU that doesn't punish people for parking their cars illegally. ... As far as I can tell, cars have more rights than citizens in Bucharest - also because Romanians are so excessively passionate about their cars. This feeling has its origins in the days of communism. Back then only party functionaries, directors, high-ranking military officers and Securitate employees owned a car. This inspired awe and respect. People still believe owning a car confers power on them."

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