Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd.

Location: Sofia

Year: 2017

Team: Nurhan Redzheb, Maialen Landa Oregi, Pavel Yanchev, Silvia Chakarova, Despina Kaneva, Galina Aleksova

Status: Conceptual study

Conceptual Study for Redesign of Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd., Sofia

Motivation

The motivation behind the project for bicycle lane along Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd. is based on the Sofia Municipality’s statement to make Sofia a city for people and to change the planning approach – with priority to pedestrians and cyclists in the city centre.

Scope of the study

The current study looks at Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd. between Graf Ignatiev St. and Hristo Botev St.

Current situation

Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd. is characterised by good pedestrian accessibility. The north footpath is more than 5 m wide, and the south one is more than 4.5 m wide. The car lanes are one-way only and in the different parts of the boulevard they vary from 3 to 4 m. There are separate on-street parking places along the boulevard and green areas on both sides of it. The average building height (5/6 floors) and the active ground floor create public space with specific identity and human scale.

Key project principles

Prioritising pedestrian and bicycle movement;
Preservation of the footpath width
Continuity and connectedness of the bicycle movement
Separation between pedestrian, bicycle, and motorised traffic
Provision of safety and comfort to all participant in the urban mobility – pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and cars
Provision of accessible urban environment for people with disabilities, people with prams and elderly people
Proposal for two one-way bike lanes on each side of the boulevard according to the best practices for bike lane design
Continuity of the public transport operation through provision of a designated BUS-lane
Provision of additional space for greenery and trees
Phasing of the development proposals

Development proposals

Proposal 1

Proposal 1 aims to promote walking and cycling in the city centre and to restrict the car access. It proposes two footpaths (north – 5.2 m, south – 4.8 m), two bicycle lanes on both sides of the boulevard (2 m), greenery (2 m on both sides), parking places (2.5 m), a car lane (3 m) and a bus lane (3.5 m). The proposal defines parallel on-street parking, however, it can be changed to parking under 60^o.

Proposal 2

Proposal 2 is a compromise decision with more car lanes. The two bicycle lanes (2m) are developed as in Proposal 1. It proposes two car lanes (3m), a bus lane (3.5m) and on-street parking places, which are separated from the bike lane by greenery for the safety of the cyclists. There are no changes of the footpath width.

Phasing of the proposals

Proposal 1 can be initially developed without a separate BUS-lane so that there are 2 lanes shared between cars and public transport. On a later stage (after 2-5 years) a BUS-lane can be added.
Proposal 2 and Proposal 1 can be seen as consecutive stages of a long-term project. Proposal 2 can be implemented as stage 1 and Proposal 1 can be implemented later (after 2-5 years) as stage 2. In this case one of the car-lanes in Proposal 2 can be later turned into greenery lane. It should be kept in mind that this option requires 2 resourceful and expensive reconstructions of Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd. in a short period of time which might not be efficient from a cost-benefit perspective.

Presentation

Presentation of the project at a specialised expert council at 26 July 2017. Our team was invited by Sofia Municipality’s Architecture and Urban Planning Department.

Additional materials

Our team was asked by Sofia Municipality’s Architecture and Urban Planning Department to present additional materials clarifying the intersections along Patriarh Evtimiy Blvd. Below you can see the two proposals our team developed based on the suggestions by Petya Doneva, MArch from Veloevolution Association.

Proposal 1 – bike lanes, dedicated BUS lane, more greenery, less car lanes