Mayor Pencho Milkov hosted an initiative on transport connectivity in Ruse
Friday, 08 September 2023
Citizens, members of the European and Bulgarian parliaments, diplomats, representatives of local and state authorities took part in the discussion forum on transport connectivity between Bulgaria and Romania. The meeting was initiated by Mayor Pencho Milkov to put back on the agenda the issues of the organization of heavy traffic, the construction of a second bridge over the Danube at Ruse, the construction of the Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo highway and other key aspects for the development of transport in the region in the short and long term.
Active participants in the discussion were MEP Petar Vitanov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to Romania Radko Vlajkov, Innovation Advisor to the President - Alexander Pulev, MP Ivan Ivanov, Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the Romanian Embassy in Bulgaria Daniel Mazilu, Deputy Minister of Transport Dimitar Nedyalkov, Chairman of the Ruse City Council Ivo Pazardzhiev and Deputy Regional Governor Georgi Georgiev.
The key importance of transport for the development of Ruse was the topic of the sociologists Haralan Alexandrov and Parvan Simeonov, who in recent weeks have conducted an in-depth survey in the city and the region.
The representatives of the institutions noted the consolidated policy of the authorities represented at the event in Bulgaria and Romania to improve the common connectivity between the two countries. The efforts of the local government to create a large parking lot and the introduction of a virtual queue, and with it a better order for heavy traffic in the city, were noted as a success. The need to open funding for a second bridge at Ruse, the rapid construction of the highway to Veliko Tarnovo and the entry into Schengen was noted.
Business representatives and industry organisations shared their views on the challenges and gave their suggestions. Issues raised were the designation of citizens with special status, travelling daily on business between Ruse and Giurgiu, the repair of the Danube bridge and the construction of a second one at Ruse, as well as the elimination of duplicate procedures for checking when crossing the Bulgarian-Romanian border.
Earlier in the day, the officials observed on the spot the conditions of use and the capacity of several tirparking lots, and discussed options for optimizing the operation of the so-called - "virtual queue". By order of the mayor, the numbers are also taken from other parking lots on the territory of the municipality so as not to disturb the order. The problem remains the trucks that still make their breaks on the roadways, despite participating with a number in the virtual queue and despite the ban on stopping and staying on the boulevards indicated by signs. Pencho Milkov and the representatives of the parking lots agreed on the need for active assistance of the traffic police and the Automobile Inspection Directorate to conduct targeted inspections and to impose stricter control.
"Ruse is the big winner, despite the problems in geopolitics. The importance of the North-South axis will continue to grow, and this will bring more new industries and opportunities ahead. This is a privilege that will bring us a lot of difficulties, which on the one hand we overcome with the assistance of the state, and on the other hand we have to be able to resolve at the local level", said Mayor Pencho Milkov.
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