An initiative has been launched to improve the development and state of the cycling infrastructure in Sofia

WeRide.Today

The initiative of the association "For the Earth" - for a qualitative change in the policy for the development and state of the cycling infrastructure in Sofia was the reason for a conversation with the interlocutors on the topic - Dragomira Raeva from the association "For the Earth" and the bicycle mayor of Sofia Milen Angelov from the international civil organization " Veloktove', which is based in Amsterdam. In its philosophy lies acceleration in the reshaping of cities, the recognition of the bicycle as the heart of an urban mobility and the main means not only for mobility, but also for many other activities in which it finds application, shared Milen Angelov.
He pointed to examples of specialized bicycles - ambulances for lighter cases or those used to put out fires. In many countries, cargo bikes are also used to make deliveries faster.
"Definitely this should be implemented in Sofia very soon, as the potentials for the city's economy are huge with cargo bikes, added Dragomira Raeva.
About the changes and challenges in the mobility environment
The "Initiative "For connected, convenient and safe bicycle lanes in Sofia" was launched a few days ago - on September 18.
"The campaign started with an invitation to people to support six demands that we chose together with the cycling community," said Raeva.
- To build bike lanes connected in a network, for normal comfortable movement to any point of the city.
– For safe intersections marked with special cycle lanes, cycle paths, which currently exist in several places.
"Nowhere at a junction is there a dedicated place for cyclists to wait, there are no marked places at most of the bigger junctions which way you have to make a left or right turn which is sometimes extremely difficult, especially at a junction like Eagle Bridge," he added Raeva.
As a reference, we specify that in some places in Europe left turns for cyclists are prohibited, and in countries such as Austria, right turns are always "green" for cyclists - ie. you have the right to turn right, even when all traffic lights for other vehicles are red.
The request of the "For the Earth" association for maintenance of the existing bike lanes is also not respected, says Dragomira Raeva.
“We have no means, no intentions, no plans for maintenance. We only have for new bike lanes," various institutions wrote in response to them.
"It is part of a larger request - to establish not only bicycle policies, but also regulation for bicycles in general in Sofia, as is the case in most developed European countries," added Milen Angelov.
"We would very much like the next city managers to recognize the role of the bicycle, in reshaping our city to a cleaner, more welcoming city, to be shaped purely administratively and as a strategy that includes not only the construction and maintenance, but also the construction of specific policies'.
You can find and support a petition related to the initiative and demands of the "For the Earth" association on their website.
Listen to more details in Boyan Bochev's conversation in the sound file.