„The state of Bulgarian roads continues to be a serious problem, and in order for there to be real change, there must be responsibility for the violations and problems in the construction of the infrastructure". This was stated by the car racer and former Minister of Sports Dimitar Iliev on the air of „Crossroads“.
According to him, the difference between Bulgarian roads and those in other European countries is obvious. „We are all on the roads and we see the huge deficits. If we go to Slovenia and drive a little, the difference compared to Bulgaria is obvious," Iliev said.
According to him, problems with the road infrastructure are increasingly coming to light. "I want the process to be brought to an end. When there is an accusation that people have embezzled money, then there should also be people imprisoned for their violations," he said.
Iliyev stressed that he expects there to be retribution for road violations.
The car racer also commented on the state of the safety systems on the roads. According to him, every system for holding a car has a certain capacity, but in our country there are serious problems with the barriers. "In our country, it is clear that vehicles pass through the barriers like saltpeter. There is certainly a reason for this“, said Iliev.
According to him, he spoke with an expert from Denmark, who explained to him that when a car hits a metal guardrail, it does not tear in the way it happens in our country. “Our guardrails are compromised and are like a film set“, said Iliev.
He expressed hope that it would be established who allowed the use of such systems and that the entire possible scheme would be revealed.
According to Iliev, the problem is not limited to the guardrails. He also pointed out the thickness of the asphalt, traction, road markings and road signs as factors that have a bearing on safety.
Iliyev also commented on the idea of giving future highways to concession. According to him, at the moment there is not enough clarity on what criteria the concessions will be determined by and why strategic infrastructure facilities should be provided in this way. He also raised the question of who will carry out the concessions and how the costs for citizens will be formed.
„Why will Bulgarian citizens have to pay to use our roads? What will be the companies that will carry out these concessions - are they Bulgarian, are they European? We don't know anything yet“, said Iliev.
He insisted that there should be strict construction supervision during the implementation of such projects.
According to Iliev, road safety is determined by three main components - road, person and car.
„The new reforms have not analyzed which deficits will be improved in this direction. The only thing that is clear is that the fines will reach the people faster, but not enough is being said about road safety," he commented.
At the end of the conversation, Iliev also commented on the upcoming presidential elections. He stated that he is part of the initiative committee that supports the candidacy of Andrey Gyurov for president and Georgi Kandev for vice president. Iliev explained that he chose to get involved because, in his opinion, Gyurov is a person who has built his own path. „Andrey Gyurov is an honest, ordinary person who set out on his own and managed to prove himself as a leader when he was the acting prime minister," Iliev said.
He emphasized that the presidential vote is a majoritarian one and voters vote for specific individuals, not for parties.