Bulgarian Danube Cycling Ambassadors were announced as public figures and politicians supporting cycling as part of their decision-making and personal engagement in green causes.

Dr Alexander Simidchiev

Dr Alexander Simidchiev as a professional dealing with respiratory diseases is an activist for clean air. Together with colleagues in the field of medicine, he established the association “Air for Health” to promote the need for clean air. Among the measures they insist to be taken are the stimulation of active mobility and the use of bicycles in cities. Dr Simidchiev is a cyclist himself, fully aware of the obstacles for those cycling in urban environments unprepared to accommodate people of different ages and abilities. As a politician and member of the parliament, Dr Simidshiev continuously debates the link between clean air and active mobility and works to create national policies to support them.

Borislav Sandov

As a cyclist, leader of the Bulgarian green party and former Minister of Environment, Borislav Sandov is one of the few politicians one could see on a bicycle and a natural ambassador for cycling for quite a long time. Borislav is part of the continuous processes to enhance cycling in the Bulgarian Danube region and supported the promotion of EuroVelo routes tracked in Bulgaria. The need for legislation changes in favour of cycling and policies governed at the national level Borislav Sandov sees as a key for both urban bicycle transport promotion and economic development through cycling tourism in the Danube region.

Boris Bonev

Boris Bonev, a passionate urban activist for public transport and cycling transport in Sofia, is also a city councillor and a strong advocate for more people using bicycles on a daily basis. Together with his association Spasi Sofia, he has been promoting safe bicycle infrastructure in particularly important projects in recent years. A famous campaign of Spasi Sofia is their project for a bicycle path on Patriarch Evtimiy Blvd, where an explicit demonstration is made of how a fair redistribution of street space could be made to ensure connectivity and safety of cyclists. As a local politician, Boris Bonev is aware of the potential of cycling tourism benefits for the economy and also works to enhance the accessibility of Sofia’s natural and historic tourist attractions by bicycle.

For more information, see the videos on the Bulgarian project website: http://www.bgcyclingplan.eu/ambassadors