Sanding and salting in Sofia
Before coming here everyone said that Bulgarians don’t sand or plow the roads. That is incorrect. What is correct is that they only sand/salt and plow the major roads – and mostly just sand/salt. Over the course of the winter I was able to see a variety of the snow removal equipment they used. For the most part the equipment was relatively modern with auger-type spreaders on the back of the trucks. However, I have a feeling the drivers weren’t accustomed to such equipment. I say this because I was following a sanding truck a few weeks ago and the driver didn’t stop the auger while he was stopped at a light. The result was a not insignificant pile of sand/snow at every light the truck stopped at.
I also think I saw the previous technology of sanding truck. While walking, I saw a municipal dump truck pass me. Standing on a pile of sand in the back of the truck was a person with a shovel. As the truck drove this person was shoveling sand as fast as he could out of the back of the truck. Old school sanding.
