The new transport scheme in the center can increase this problem of poisoning the population of the city. The intentions are good – bike lanes, scooter lanes. I support having them because for more than 40 years, to this day, I ride a bike. However, not this way. The initiators bring in the London model – one lane for cars and an accompanying bike lane on the road. Using working foreign models is fine as a policy, but it should always be tailored to the local specifics first.
This is what he commented on his Facebook page about the repair of "Patriarch Evtimii" Blvd. the political scientist Kaloyan Metodiev.
Here's more from his post:
Every winter, for many years, I write the same article. About the air in Sofia - polluted times above the norm, with consequent bronchitis, asthma, cancer in the first places in Europe. It's the silent killer. And it is no coincidence that Bulgarians live an average of 10 years shorter than the majority of EU residents. From December to March, Sofia residents very often see what they are breathing. Children and adults are most vulnerable. This is a key issue for everyone's health – rich or poor, young or old, healthy or sick. For everyone!
The new transport scheme in the center could increase this problem of poisoning the population of the city. The intentions are good – bike lanes, scooter lanes. I support having them because for more than 40 years, to this day, I ride a bike. However, not in this way. The initiators bring in the London model – one lane for cars and an accompanying bike lane on the road. Using working foreign models is good as a policy, but it should always be tailored to the local specifics first. There is one thing in London that Sofia does not have. It's called the Gulf Stream. The temperature does not fall below zero there, there is no snow, and the ocean and the Thames ventilated the city. A bike can be ridden all year round. In our country, from November to the end of March, it drops to minus 20 degrees, there is snow, cold. There are no conditions for riding bicycles and scooters for more than 5 months. Cars are being driven. The new organization guarantees more congestion in the winter months, more poisonous gases, dirtier air, more sick people, more damage to the economy and ultimately a deteriorating quality of life with a shorter life expectancy. The air in Sofia will not be purified with unusable alleys for the majority of residents during half the time of the year. We'll have cars crammed into first gear and some will spend hours looking for parking spots. Before doing something, one must think, discuss, and take into account our conditions. It is good to revise the decision. People's health comes first!