PERSPECTIVES AND INTEGRATION OF BICYCLE TRANSPORT IN SOFIA, BULGARIA

Abstract

Public transport is an important element of sustainable development that incorporates responsiveness towards the need for mobility by the population within the framework of the urban transit system. As a part of the public transportation system, bicycle transport, with its environmental aspect, is the bedrock of the idea for accessible public services. This study provides core parameters for the assessment of social and environmental dimensions in order to further develop bicycle transport. It also itemizes the principles that need to be followed with the aim of social and economic sustainability. As a form of transportation in an urban environment, the bicycle traffic, its share and distribution of trips, obstacles and challenges encountered by cyclists in the city, trends and prevalent issues related to the current conditions of cycling infrastructure in Sofia, Bulgaria, were analyzed. In a nutshell, the report delivers a compiled group of suggestions on opportunities that may help to increase the functional efficiency of cycling as part of the transportation system of Sofia, in both, the social and environmental sense.