The recordings of the bus accident on Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd. in Sofia have already been submitted to the investigation. The leading version at the moment remains a technical malfunction of the vehicle, reports Nova TV.
At the same time, the question comes to the fore: if there were concrete barriers in the middle of the bridge, would they have stopped the bus from entering the oncoming lane? Another issue on the agenda is how safe the public transport fleet in Sofia is.
Krassimir Georgiev from the Association for Qualification of Motorists points out that Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd. is prohibited for the movement of trucks over 12 tons. “Perhaps it was thought that the guardrail should stop a passenger car. The bus is over 20 tons”.
And the question – could another guardrail, located between the two lanes of traffic, stop it from entering the oncoming lane, is causing discussion. Eng. Yasen Ishev, Chairman of the Board of the Scientific and Technical Union for Transport, points out: “The guardrails and restraint systems are tested at an angle of up to 20 degrees, here they are 45-50. The bus stops at 90 degrees in the concrete restraint system. But its inertia is taken away by the two guardrails it has passed”.
Eng. Georgi Zlatev from the Bulgarian Industry Chamber “Roads” commented: “The designers have underestimated the facility”. He pointed out that it is necessary to set the highest level of the restraint system – H4B, which is put at the risk of third parties, such as the people below in the roundabout.
The problem with the dangerous infrastructure was also brought into focus by the Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev. He stated: “I would not call for quick and easy solutions with the concrete barriers, because it turns out that the same people who supplied us with the same barriers with countless problems are now orienting themselves to produce concrete ones”.