Traversing the road less travelled

Bulgaria has many roads, but politicians, as well as business people and drivers, are asking for more, wider, smoother, and direct roads. Cities want better roads leading to their centres. Forestry managers want more roads into forests. Resort areas want more roads leading to the sea or mountains. Economically, roads can stimulate income - at first. But, there are other ways of looking at roads.

We can look at roads from an ecological perspective. As a science, ecology describes the interrelationships between organisms and environments - that is, the experience of living together in the biosphere. But ecology is also a way of observing how human beings participate in nature, as part of the food chain, for example. People, like most mammals, use roads (or paths) to get from one place to another, to get supplies, to visit others, or just to look around.

This is good use of our technology. It allows us to increase our horizons and improve our lives. Better roads make travelling more efficient. There is less waste of oil and gas, and less wear on vehicles and their occupants. But every technological innovation in vehicles either requires or makes roads. And roads have effects that go far beyond the movement of people along them.

New roads lead more people to new places, thus changing the characteristics that often make those places attractive (i.e. being off the road). Roads also increase the flow of things between points. But too much flow (of matter, energy or form) can destroy biological relationships and diversity.

Roads are a major force in fragmenting the habitats of plants and animals. Many animals cannot live near roads or noise or human activity. Many animals and plants need large areas to roam and roads cut into these areas (although highway routes and underpasses can be modified - for instance Britain builds underpasses for frogs and other animals). Roads directly affect natural and human communities in many ways, causing:

- Changes in populations of animals or plants that cannot cross them (isolation)
- The spread of organisms that use roads to colonize new areas with plant, insect or animal pests (that is, things that are out of place)
- Problems with erosion
- Problems with spreading trash
- Changes in hydrology and wetlands
- Changes in social circumstances. For instance, private cars changed public morality in America. Many kinds of crime increased (for instance, bank robberies - due to faster roads with easy access).
- Changes in economies, as new roads bypass old routes.

Many countries answered the demands of their citizens, business people, and politicians (and ignored the environment) by building bigger, faster roads. Then as people crowded on the roads, they became slower, and the demand for bigger roads arose again. Many countries have found that building more and larger roads does not solve the problems of congestion, accidents, and danger. These problems have a lot to do with the kinds of transportation on the roads, that is, cars, trucks or buses.

Maybe Bulgaria should have a new motorway and maybe all the roads should be upgraded. But it would be better if it were part of a plan for the entire country that considered population movement, the needs of all the people, and the best forms of transportation.

Buses and trains are far more efficient than private cars, and many countries are rebuilding their train and bus routes, from Brazil to France to Japan. By concentrating on a good public transportation system, and limiting the influence of private cars, Bulgaria could become a good model for them to follow.

Sounding Board is a weekly guest column for members of Bulgaria's expatriate community to voice their opinions or recount stories from their life in Bulgaria. Submissions should be 700 words, accompanied by a photo, and emailed to editor@sofiaecho.com.