Sofia is a city that is very far from the standards for a European capital. It is significantly inferior to Bucharest (not to mention Budapest, Prague and Zagreb) in terms of urban environment, infrastructure, cleanliness, transport connectivity and many other parameters.
This was noted on "Facebook" by Yordan Michev.
A simple example, very elementary: Sofia is probably the only larger capital where there is no direct transport connection between the airport and the central station (or bus station).
Less than a month ago I was briefly in Sofia. Quite by chance at the “Gerena” market in the “Suhata Reka” district I caught up with the mayor of Poduyane district, Kristiyan Hristov, and the municipal councilor from “Spasi Sofia” Andrey Zografski.
They had set up an improvised table at the entrance to collect signatures for a new bus line that would connect Poduyane with the neighborhoods in South Sofia. I didn't know the two municipal councilors, but I explained to them in detail why there needed to be a connection between the Central Station and the airport.
I also pointed out the easiest solution for this - bus line 78, which runs from the station through “Slivnitsa”, “Stochna Gara”, “Dondukov”, the “Chavdar” bridge, “Vladimir Vazov” and reaches the “Levski” district. simply be extended to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Yes, it will pass through the ghetto of the “Hristo Botev” quarter, but here is an occasion for this ghetto to be gradually brought into some acceptable form.
I think both of them understood me then.
It's not some grand philosophy, it's not nuclear physics or space technology. Simple solutions that should have been implemented a long time ago.
And which have been signaled for a long time. But no one has lifted a finger. And then we wonder why “Eurovision” is not in Sofia. Well, how was it, my dear? How can it be?
However, I see that two weeks ago the mayor of “Poduyane” (second from right) and the leader of “Save Sofia” Boris Bonev (far left) met with the airport management and discussed a new bus line that would finally connect the northern neighborhoods with the airport.
Come on, let's finally break this deadlock and get things going. Although in Sofia, in principle, nothing is clear and it's not as it should be. The time will come for “Eurovision” someday, when the capital becomes European.