The scandals about the new traffic and parking adjustments in the centre of Sofia continue in SCS

The topic of the new traffic and parking adjustments in the capital again caused long discussions and disputes in the Sofia City Council on May 16. The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), GERB and the other political parties again insisted that the project be revised. The ruling again showed all the documents and explained that everything was compliant with the law.

The disputes and discussions about the new bike lanes have not stopped for the third week now. Ivan Takov from BSP called on Mayor Vasil Terziev to recall Deputy Mayor for Transport Ilian Pavlov because, in his words, the traffic organisation is illegal.

"The trolleybuses on Rakovski street are running about 90 seconds late. Yes, they run about 30 seconds faster on Patriarch Evtimiy Boulevard, but this is happening without the third light on Fridtjof Nansen Boulevard. So we can say that the expected effect of faster transport will not happen, but the opposite," said Ivan Takov.

According to the BSP, the change was made by force. The municipal councillors reminded that the Sofia Directorate of the Interior issued an official statement that nothing was coordinated with them.

Images by BTA

GERB also demanded the resignation of the deputy mayor and recalled the protests of the residents and showed the petition against the project.

Sofia's new bike lanes: satisfied and dissatisfied with the traffic reorganisation

"We will ask to consider the alternatives. If no one can agree to bring back the old organisation (of traffic), we are not against it. We don't want to remove the bike lanes, but there were enough good opinions where these bike lanes should be built to have a better balance," said Proshko Proshkov - municipal councilor of GERB-UDF.

The ruling pointed out that after the new lanes were introduced, bicycle traffic doubled and that the opinion of the metropolitan directorate of the Ministry of interior for traffic re-organisation is required only upon request, but is not mandatory.

"All traffic organisation and regulation projects are coordinated with the Traffic Directorate of the Sofia Municipality and the Traffic Police of Sofia Directorate of the Interior. Here now I will show you the protocol with the members, we can go to the point of "Patriarch Evtimyi" and at the bottom it says "Agreed", said Ilian Pavlov - Deputy Mayor of Sofia for Transport.

Boris Bonev reported that the court has already returned one of the appeals against the project for lack of specificity and justified legal interest.

"Only 24 hours after the ad hoc commission on transport was set up, more than 250 opinions were received, 230 of them positive in favour of the project. This is the most debated traffic organisation project in the history of Sofia," said Boris Bonev - municipal councilor from We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria - Save Sofia.