Bulgaria | Association

The Railway Transport Friends Association is an NGO with 20 individuals and legal entities from all spheres of public life who realize the importance of railway transport as the most ecological and safe form of transport for European integration. The association is based in the city of Plovdiv, in central Bulgaria. Members are primarily from the cities of Sofia and Plovdiv.

The Railway Transport Friends Association is committed to carrying out the following initiatives over the next three years:

• Have volunteers and association members monitor the accident rate during daily travel and, in cases of traffic violation, draw up reports for the authorities in charge: Road Traffic Control (KAT) and the Traffic Police (PV). Draft monthly summaries of the observation data, draft reports for the appropriate institutions, the media and representatives of civil society.
• Train two teams (three people each) of volunteer collaborators with the appropriate qualifications in KAT and traffic policing to help professionals draw up traffic accident databases and other operational tasks. As independent experts, the team members will make proposals for improved coordination of the units in the road safety system.
• Teach 40 students at schools in the city of Plovdiv on road safety. Train 4 groups to patrol the intersections which experience the heaviest traffic in the city.
• Organise a group of independent citizens (six people minimum) to control the state of road markings, traffic signs and traffic signals. They shall draw up quarterly reports and submit them to the institutions in charge for the appropriate measures to be taken. Every three months, information on the improvement measures undertaken will be requested from the corresponding institution (either the Plovdiv City Council or the Road Agency). Based on the information compiled, the “control group” will periodically draw up a set of proposals for change with regard to the trends detected.
• Organise 12 meetings per year at the KAT conference hall for the monthly presentation of analyses regarding the causes and consequences of serious traffic accidents and how they can be avoided. Regular violators of traffic regulations and any citizens interested in the issue of road safety will be invited to attend. Monthly reports will be drawn up on the results of the meetings and will be submitted to the media.