Buffer parking site for trucks to be established near Rousse due to busy traffic to Danube Bridge

The long-standing problem with busy traffic through Rousse to the Danube Bridge is about to be solved. The queues of lorries on "Bulgaria" boulevard created chaos in the traffic and caused discontent and numerous protests by residents of Rousse and of the neighboring town of Marten. Recently, however, the lorries have been directed to a buffer parking lot. Via an electronic system, they receive a number with the order for passing through the checkpoint.

The buffer parking site has spaces for nearly 700 lorries. There, in suitable conditions, drivers can wait for their turn. For Oleksandr from Ukraine, who has had to wait 24 hours in a queue before, the parking site is a convenience.

"It is much more pleasant now. We used to wait on the road, like dogs," he says.

The electronic system for the border crossing order is monitored by Rousse Municipality. To get a number, the lorries are not obliged to stay only in the buffer parking.

"You don't have to enter a specific parking lot in Rousse. You don't have to pay fees to get a number in our unified information system. We want the queue to be digital. Lorries can wait in different parking lots in Rousse, but they have to have a number from the system," said Pencho Milkov, mayor of Rousse municipality.

Because of the busy traffic, however, it happens that the stay in the parking lots is longer. Ognyan Todorov, who transports watermelons and melons from Bulgaria to Romania, waits for 4 hours and risks losses.

"We used to go through with refrigerated goods because they would let us through, now we stay and wait. It's worse now. The border processing times have increased. One window only works in Romania. That is the problem. As far as I know, 6,000 BGN is the penalty if I don't get on time tomorrow," said Ognyan Todorov, a driver.

"The repair of the section Mezdra - Botevgrad directs the lorries to pass via Rousse instead of via Petrohan, which is a difficult pass for them. Secondly, the summer flow of all Romanian tourists travelling on holiday leads to time-frames for clearance of passenger cars only, and during this time, the clearance of lorries is paused," the mayor of Rousse municipality also pointed out.

A few days ago, the mayor issued an order to the regional directorate of the Ministry of Interior, requesting MoI teams to be stationed at the approach to the Danube Bridge and at every parking site. He insists that when the parking lots are full, the trucks should be stopped at the entrance of Rousse, from the direction of Sofia.

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