Sofia Municipality insists that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and the “Road Infrastructure“ Agency provide 12.5 km of bike lanes during the construction of the Sofia Ring Road, including safe connections for cyclists and pedestrians at all key intersections with boulevards, streets and other road junctions.
This is what Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev insists on in a letter to the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Shishkov. The proposals of Sofia Municipality have been prepared based on expert analysis and received signals and suggestions from citizens. The goal is to ensure continuous and safe pedestrian and bicycle connectivity between the neighborhoods on both sides of the ring road at the design stage.
„When designing infrastructure of this scale, one must also think about all the connections that it will create or break. In Sofia, we already have bicycle routes built and we are planning new ones. We must ensure safe intersections between them even now, while the SOP is being designed“, noted Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev.
The proposals include approximately 12.5 km of bicycle infrastructure and cover 13 key intersections along the route of the Sofia Ring Road. It is expected to connect the existing bicycle routes along „Bratya Buxton“ Blvd., in the area of NIM and Vitosha, along „Tsar Boris III“ Blvd. and in Knyazhevo, as well as along „Montevideo“ St. and “Nikola Petkov“ Blvd. Connections with future bicycle routes are also planned along “Boryana“ St., “Tsar Boris III“ Blvd. in the direction of Knyazhevo and “Ljubljana“ St., which will connect the “Karpuzitsa“ district, Knyazhevo and Gorna Banya with the bicycle network to the center. It is also proposed to study the possibilities for bicycle routes along the Vladayska River between “Gorna Banya“ metro station and “President Lincoln“ Blvd., as well as along “Sukhodolska“ St., according to the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of the Sofia Municipality.
The letter comes against the backdrop of concrete progress on the last unfinished section of the Sofia Ring Road – The National Expert Council has already approved the Master Plan for the route, after the Sofia Municipality developed the conceptual designs, on the basis of which the development plans were developed. The section is also key for access to the future National Children's Hospital, where the Municipality is working in parallel on the connecting infrastructure.
It is particularly important to ensure connections between Knyazhevo, Suhodol, Gorna Banya and Boyana, on the one hand, and Buxton, Ovcha Kupel, Fakulteta and the rest of the city territory, on the other. This will create an opportunity for a continuous pedestrian and bicycle connection between the western and southwestern parts of the city, the urban area and Vitosha.
The experience of the Southern Arc, built by the RIA, shows that the lack of suitable and safe intersections significantly hinders bicycle movement between the southern neighborhoods and the central city. Therefore, the Sofia Municipality proposes that this issue be resolved during the design process.
The topic has already been discussed and in direct dialogue with state institutions. The bicycle coordinator of the Sofia Municipality, Dilyan Gavrailov, has sent specific proposals to the RIA for the provision of bicycle infrastructure during the construction of the SOP.
Subsequently, Eng. Gavrailov also participated in a meeting with representatives of the MRDPW at the initiative of the civil association “Knyazhevets“. At the meeting, the issue of the bicycle connection along the route along “Tsar Boris III“ Blvd. was raised. to Knyazhevo, as well as the need to ensure safe bicycle connections at all points where the SOP intersects existing or planned routes.
Communication with local civic associations and initiative committees is important for identifying the specific problems and connections that need to be ensured when planning infrastructure projects. Sofia Municipality proposes that this work continue within the framework of current and future meetings related to the design and construction of the relevant sections of the SOP, with the participation of municipal experts and the bicycle coordinator.