Guidelines for Improving the Quality of Urban Passenger Transport in the City of Sofia within the Context of Stable Urban Mobility

Abstract

The problems regarding the necessity for improving the quality of urban passenger transport trips have become especially relevant in recent years due to the fact that an increasingly large portion of Europe's population now lives in major cities. They comprise about 85% of the EU's GDP. They are the engine of European economy, attracting investments and providing new jobs. At the same time, their dynamic development has led to multiple negative consequences regarding urban traffic. Despite the progress of automobile technology, the increased number of personal vehicles, the street traffic, the harmful emissions and noise pollution have become one of the biggest challenges for most cities, including Sofia. This has led to negative economic, social and ecological consequences and the destruction of the natural urban environment. Therefore, the European Commission has composed the Green Paper of Transport which outlines the primary guidelines for ensuring stable urban mobility by facilitating traffic in cities, improving the accessibility, security and safety of public transport and reducing the harmful impact of urban traffic on the environment.