Ministry of Interior with startling statistics about the war on the road – every day in our country there are an average of 20 serious accidents.
After one of the latest fatal road crashes, a car crashed into a truck stopped by the roadside. In Bulgaria, there are few parking lots where trucks can stop for the legally required rest, say drivers.
Stoyan has only ten minutes until the legally required rest stop. To continue to the parking lot, he risks running out of time and a high fine. That's why he stops at a roadside turnoff.
„I'm currently at four hours and twenty minutes, we have to take a mandatory break at four and a half hours. Here, look where the parking lots are and what parking lots we stop at! There is no place to stop from Vidin. There are no parking lots anywhere in Bulgaria!“, says Stoyan, a truck driver.
Few of the TIR parking lots in the Montana region offer bathrooms and toilets.
“Although this TIR parking lot is located meters from the international road E-79, it is clearly not used and the likely reason for this is the poor conditions it offered“, points out Reni Hristova.
In another parking lot, only the inscription “TIR parking lot“ and gravel are visible.
“There are conditions everywhere: in Germany, in Austria, everywhere there is water, toilets, coffee, absolutely everything. Everywhere! Only here in Bulgaria - here, you see what the situation is“, says a driver.
Yordan Mihalev is an international driver. For the mandatory 45-minute break, he chooses the turnoff at the 77th kilometer of the "Trakia" highway.
“Misery in principle, almost in all parking lots, we are talking about Bulgaria, right? What conditions do you need here? Well, we need a toilet, possibly a bathroom. After all, we are normal human beings. Preferably it is guarded, because recently everywhere in Europe there has been a massive theft“, says Yordan Mihalev, a truck driver.
In the parking lot of the "Trakia" highway, there may not be a toilet, there is no place for drivers to sleep, either, but the chickens walk freely.
Drivers are often forced to stop at gas stations or in industrial zones due to a lack of parking lots, says Yordan. He gives an example of France.
„You have all kinds of conditions – washing machines, dryers, everything. What do you see here? I don't see anything here, at most there should be a toilet“, says Yordan Mihalev.
In this parking lot, one of the establishments is owned by Krasimira Pandeva.
„How much do you pay per year? 1800 leva. I know that the gas station charges 3600 and the inn charges 3600. Do you see any investment made? No investment, absolutely none, look at the condition of the parking lot – holes“, says Krasimira Pandeva.
From Stara Zagora we head towards Burgas. There are turnoffs here.
„There is no tree, no bench, no toilet, is this normal? And they stop at 40 degrees while you're standing in the truck," says Petar Petkov, a truck driver.
In our southern neighbor, parking lots are common. There, parking costs 15 euros. This price includes a bathroom, toilet and internet. There is also a restaurant.
And in our country, the chemical toilets installed on the "Trakia" highway 10 years ago were stolen.
"It's a jungle here," says Nedko Nedelchev, a passenger car driver.
The chemical toilets are still missing today.