MARTA BOZHIKOVA MUNICIPALITY OF PLOVDIV BULGARIA Mobility management in new EC Member States The state-of-play in the town of Plovdiv, Bulgaria June 2008 City of London, United Kingdom

Location: in the centre of the Balkan Peninsula Size: second largest city in Bulgaria with a surface area of km 2 Population: about people constant residents Unemployment rate: around 5% THE THE CITY OF PLOVDIV THE THE CITY OF PLOVDIV

THE CITY OF PLOVDIV CITY HALL

CITY OF PLOVDIV Mobility management Mobility management transport and traffic management 2007 – first steps to a structured traffic and transport management No public comprehension of the direct relation traffic - CO2 emissions Weak public discussion on the topic.

Plovdiv - one of the biggest territorial sources of air pollution in South BulgariaPlovdiv - one of the biggest territorial sources of air pollution in South Bulgaria -CO2 emissions are approximately 98 % of all the harmful emissions in the atmosphere Main emissions caused by vehicles:Main emissions caused by vehicles: -41,24 % of all the harmful emissions in the atmosphere -Significant emissions of Nitrogen oxides caused by diesel vehicles -Significant emissions of Carbon oxides caused by petrol vehicles -Lead aerosol emissions

CITY OF PLOVDIV Facts from before 1990 relevant to transport management Established and functional scheme of public transport Price preference for loyalty and regular use of public transport BUT: State monopoly of the public transport system: no competition Taxi transport – 100% owned by the state Due to city industrialization - organized and well managed transport to and from the workplace Weak motorization of the population: 210 private cars/1000 inhabitants

CITY OF PLOVDIV Changes for the past 18 years More than doubled motorization: 430 vehicles/1000 inhabitants Changed comprehension of traffic management and public transport management Increased traffic related to daily migration Public transport privatizationConsequences: Low traffic capacity of the streets Old public transport bus park, irregular and not reliable public transport, decreased number of public transport lines Lack of parking places – shortage of 74 % Huge number of taxi cabs – not controlled, emerge to fill in the gap in organized transport Lack of investment in mobility measures

CITY OF PLOVDIV Current urban transport situation Privatization of the mass bus transport: 6 private companies share the UT lines Special route taxis – a combination between UT & taxi cabs, managed by a private company: faster and more flexible Trolley – bus transport – highly outworn: 120 vehicles in the past : now only 20 vehicles in use; A municipal company established to take care of the illegal parking - direct congestion management Registration and control of all taxi cabs – technical requirements Traffic lights equipped with light-emitting diode counters in favour of drivers when stopping and driving off cars

CITY OF PLOVDIV Transport management measures currently implemented on local level Modernization of the road infrastructure in compliance with the provisions of the new City master plan of 2007 Revival of the trolleybus transport Constant renewal of the urban transport buses (23% are new and corresponding to the latest technologies) Granted subsidy from the State and the Municipality for urban transport ticket price concessions for students, elderly people and disadvantaged Offered services for hiring buses for the organized transport of companies workers and employees The introduction of Internet based public services (e.g. for tax purposes) Partly introduced blue parking zones Raising awareness campaigns

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Local level mobility management measures Sound devices installed on light controlled crossroads in favour of blind people Gradual replacement of Urban Transport Bus Stops with modern and comfortable facilities Municipality of Plovdiv is a partner in the COMMERCE project, funded by Intelligent Energy – Europe Programme -No flexible working hours -No tax concessions for transport expenses when using Urban Transport -No cards for tickets price reduction -No trade internet services

CITY OF PLOVDIV National level mobility management measures Targeted and consecutive policy for clean urban transport (on the basis of Operational program Regional Development) Development of a Plan for sustainable urban transport (in compliance with the National Transport Strategic Plan); Development of intermodal connections 50% tax reduction for cars equipped with catalyser Note: These policies are in correspondence with EU approach to urban mobility, developed in the White book European transport policies to 2010: time for taking decisions

CITY OF PLOVDIV Short – term mobility management measures planned Introduction of automatic traffic lights control and the green wave system Expansion of blue parking zones in the central part of the city and construction of new parking areas in the outskirts of the central part Internal highways reconstruction Reform of the internal railway transport in correspondence with S – bahn building plan Elaboration of a Master plan for transport organization

CITY OF PLOVDIV Long – term mobility management measures planned Development of the internal railway transport in correspondence with S – bahn – by the end of 2025; the measure will benefit reduced traffic up to 30 – 40 % Introduction of electrical transport Control of the commercial goods mobility Encouragement of public transport companies to introduce more CNG buses

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Strengths: CO2 emissions – no significant increase Local authority good will for actions Planned measures first steps Weaknesses: -Weak public awareness -Insufficient funding for soft mobility measures -No preferences for Urban Transport users -No sufficient investments CITY OF PLOVDIV Strengths and weaknesses

CITY OF PLOVDIV Conclusions City administration has already taken steps for mobility management taking into account the ecological situation, CO2 emissions reduction and the green system development Local resources have been spent and are planned for future mobility management activities More persistent policies should be followed in order to involve all actors and stakeholders into modern understanding of Mobility Management and CO2 emissions reduction

CITY OF PLOVDIV Thank you for your attention! Marta Bozhikova Municipality of Plovdiv Deputy Mayor European Policies and International Cooperation Tel / Fax /