Balgarianovinite.com Sofia residents protested over the weekend against amendments to the city’s Ordinance on Traffic Organization, which expand paid parking zones and increase parking fees and subscription rates. The demonstrations highlighted ongoing tensions between the municipality and local citizens over urban mobility and infrastructure.
On Saturday, protesters temporarily blocked traffic at Chavdar Bridge near Vladimir Vazov Boulevard. Demonstrators said they would remain on the roadway until their concerns were addressed, stressing that the issue was not paying for parking itself, but transparency regarding how funds would be spent and whether infrastructure in their districts would improve. Eleonora Angelova, one of the organizers, cited Poduyane District as an example, noting insufficient infrastructure, poorly maintained streets, and lack of lighting.
Sofia City Council Chair Tsvetomir Petrov attended the protest and explained that revenue from the expanded parking zones would be allocated through a dedicated program: 50% of funds collected in a district would be used locally, while the remaining 50% would go to the municipality, all earmarked for infrastructure improvements such as streets, pavements, lighting, and inter-block spaces.
On the same day, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev defended the reforms in an interview with Nova TV. He stressed that public transport prices would remain unchanged after the euro adoption, and emphasized that the parking reforms aim to introduce order in neighbourhoods, ease pressure on existing paid zones, and generate funds that can be reinvested locally. Terziev acknowledged challenges but argued that regulation must come before large-scale construction of parking facilities, which would be costly and conflict with the city’s green-space ambitions. He highlighted that the goal is for drivers to find parking within seven to eight minutes and that districts would see tangible improvements funded by the revenue collected.
On Sunday, protesters continued their demonstrations, temporarily blocking traffic on Moskovska Street in front of the Sofia Municipality building. They reiterated demands to withdraw the amendments and opposed turning streets into widespread paid parking areas.
Later on Sunday, Deputy Mayor for Transport and Urban Mobility Viktor Chaushev met with the protest organizers. According to Sofia Municipality, the meeting was constructive, with both sides agreeing to continue the dialogue later in November. The Municipality emphasized that paid parking is intended as a traffic management tool, not a punitive measure, and is being expanded only to areas with proven parking pressure. The authority also reiterated that revenue from parking permits will be directly returned to the districts for local improvements, with projects expected to begin in 2026.
Sofia Municipality confirmed that the parking reform will be implemented transparently and in phases, with ongoing dialogue with citizens to address concerns and ensure visible benefits in local infrastructure. Sofia Faces Protests as Paid Parking Zones Expand 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-23 20:46:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law