Working group discusses the construction of a network of safe and secure truck parking areas in the country

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is working with the Bulgarian Road Safety Agency to build a network of parking areas for trucks in the interior of the country.

An informal working group has been set up and its first meeting will be on 13 September, Deputy Transport Minister Dimitar Nedyalkov said in Rousse on September 8. He participated in a discussion between Romanian and Bulgarian authorities on better transport connectivity between the two countries.

Dimitar Nedyalkov specified that the idea is for the parking areas to have a communication system with the border crossings and added:

"Work is underway to create such a network of parking lots, only the ownership and management needs to be specified. Otherwise, there are European standards that need to met to obtain the relevant certificates, there are security levels of these parking areas. There are serious developments, it is a question of organisation and willingness on our part to get it done, and I hope that we will be able to come up with a proposal soon. The haulage companies should also be involved in this process; this is not a decision for the state alone. Provided that there is a high demand at certain points, this will be the logic for selecting the locations for the construction of such parking areas."

Dimitar Nedyalkov also said that due to the busy traffic on the Danube Bridge at Rousse, options for strengthening the work of the other checkpoints on the Bulgarian-Romanian border are being discussed and this will be done as soon as possible. A working group has been set up which has identified measures to reduce the waiting time for trucks. For example, the border crossing fee should be paid in advance via the Internet.

Buffer parking site for trucks to be established near Rousse due to busy traffic to Danube Bridge