Key words: Promotion of sustainable urban mobility, active mobility, traffic optimisation, climate neutrality

Main characteristics:

• Population of around 60,000 inhabitants 
• Located in the North Central region of Bulgaria 
• Highly industrialised city committed to sustainable mobility, climate action and the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 
• Proactive local government implementing measures aligned with the Climate City Contract 
• Increasing focus on integrated cycling infrastructure, modernised public transport and digital mobility tools 

Challenges to tackle:

• Long, linear city form with significant distances between residential areas and the city centre 
• Limited population size, affecting public transport viability 
• Insufficient traffic management and traffic-control systems 
• Lack of well-developed cycling infrastructure 
• Risk-prone areas around schools, increasing vulnerability of children and pedestrians 

Main goals of the LL:

• Improve road-safety conditions citywide 
• Cut emissions from road transport and support climate-neutral mobility 
• Reduce traffic congestion through optimised traffic management and control 
• Increase public-transport use and promote active mobility (walking and cycling) 
• Support decision-making with digital-twin simulations and AI-enabled traffic monitoring