The small tin bus shelter on the Burgas-Varna road cannot stop the heat of the September sun. The intercity minibus from Burgas should have been in Byala 15 minutes ago. If public transport to Varna stops anywhere, it will be here. The bus station is under renovation, but even if it weren’t, buses leave from there three times a day. At least that’s what the locals say. There is no information on the Byala bus station website, nor is there a contact number. However, there are contact details for all the carriers that transport passengers through the city.
“Our colleague has already passed by. If there are seats available, he will stop. The next one should be in Byala in about 20 minutes.” We receive comprehensive information after several phone calls and persistent inquiries to the transport company whose bus we are waiting for.
Half an hour later, it arrives. “We have to wave so he can see us. That’s what they said, right?” two girls with backpacks comment excitedly before rushing onto the road. And, luckily, the minibus stops and even has a few empty seats.
This concludes the journey to Yunez, a village 40 km south of Varna and 12 km from Byala. There is no public transportation to this location. The only way to get there is by car, if you have one. Bicycles are an alternative, but almost no one uses them because it is considered reckless.
Radin Petrov studies and works in Germany. He returns to Byala for the holidays. He often has to travel between Byala and Yunez, where his mother lives. During his last three-week stay in Bulgaria, he traveled the 12 km only once. It takes him about 30 minutes—three times longer than by car. But that’s not the reason he doesn’t use his bike. “It’s dangerous. The road is busy. The terrain is quite steep. And I have to keep looking back to check if there’s a car behind me. I have to judge how far to pull back. And whether to pull over if necessary…” That’s why he usually disassembles his bike, puts it in the trunk of his car, and travels by car.
“Yunets-Byala” is the most dangerous road section after the one in the Kresna Gorge. Accidents happen here almost every day. It’s suicidal to ride a bike,” says Boyan, who has lived in Yunez for years. His alternative mode of transport is an electric tricycle, which he only uses on dirt roads and forest trails.
Years ago, there was an intercity bus that ran here once a day. According to the locals, however, the time it departed—3 p.m.—made it almost useless, and it was discontinued due to lack of profitability, even though the main road between Burgas and Varna is only 2 km away.
Now, the village, which is located in the municipality of Dolni Chiflik, has 75 permanent residents. But the actual number is many times higher. There are three tourist complexes of houses here. There are also buildings that are used for permanent living during holidays and weekends. Shkorpilovtsi is only 12 km away. Kamchia is too.
Radin has been living in Germany for 10 years. He doesn’t have a car there. During his 10 years there, he has only had to use a car twice – when moving house. “I ride my bike every day. I cover about 30 km daily. It’s very easy there,” says the young man. His workplace is 6 km away. It takes him no more than 20 minutes to get there. It takes him the same amount of time by public transport. But he prefers the bike because “it’s a bit of a wake-up call, a transition from home to work, a moment when I can switch off.”
When the repair of the Dyulinski Pass (road III-906) begins, the section between Staro Oryahovo and Gyulovtsa (about 34 km), the residents of the village of Yunets see hope that they will be able to travel more easily, more accessibly, and more economically. In other words, they will be able to use bicycles. However, it turns out that the BGN 84 million investment in road repairs includes “widening, construction of new culverts, relocation of telecommunications networks,” but no alternative to motor transport. In short, cycling remains a mirage even after millions have been invested in transport infrastructure. And the people of Yunez remain as “transport-poor” as they were before the BGN 84 million investment.
“I’m not a traffic engineer, but now is the time to think about building bike routes. It won’t take a lot of money or effort to build an additional section and connect the existing roads,” Radin Petrov says aloud. He realizes that the terrain for cycling to Byala will not be easy. I imagine it so that I don’t have to fight for space among the cars, don’t bother the drivers, and don’t put myself in danger, says the young man, describing what sounds like a utopia for now.
Byala is one of the municipalities in the Varna region with well-developed bicycle routes. However, reaching them is a challenge. “You have to go there by car to join a route designed for bicycles. This isolates the bicycle as a means of transport as a sport and as an alternative for getting around. To avoid transport poverty, there must be interaction between different means of transport,” Radin argues.
“It’s a question of priorities. What is more important to us? At the moment, car transport is a priority everywhere in Bulgaria. Or at least that’s how it’s always been designed. But it is overloaded and problems are increasingly being heard. And the eco-alternatives that are being talked about should not just be words,” comments Darina Petrova, who has been living in Yunez for several years. She does not believe that with the completion of the repair of the Dyulinski Pass, the opportunity for a cycle route has been missed. “There are always opportunities to add small routes to existing or planned bike routes. There are forest roads, there are sections for cycling that are simply not connected to the larger ones,” says Darina.
Radin Petrov sends us off with optimism. “Things always happen. But it’s a process that we have to pedal,” the young man is convinced.
Continued – Transport poor: 85% of road transport in Bulgaria is by private car
