Parking in Sofia: Proposal to Expand Zones and Double Fees for Blue and Green Areas

The mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev, together with the city authorities, have proposed a double increae in the price of paid parking fees in the capital. Under the proposal, the the price for blue zone would rise to 4 leva per hour, and the green zone to 2 leva. The proposed reform is now open for public consultation, based on an online survey that collected the opinions of more than 22,000 residents. The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has strongly opposed the proposal, while GERB–UDF have remained silent.

• Drastic increase in parking prices in Sofia proposed by the municipality

The survey indicates that residents from the “Iztok,” “Izgrev,” “Banichora,” “Reduta,” and “Geo Milev” districts want to join the paid parking zone, and residents in five areas currently in the green zone are open to it becoming blue — under one condition.

Simeon Stavrev, city councillor for “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria,” said:
“Over 50% stated that 4 leva per hour, or an increase in the residential sticker fee, is not a major problem if we can guarantee them parking spaces.”

Residents of the blue zone believe it should operate on Sundays, and 80% of respondents think that official subscriptions should be limited.

The authorities propose reducing official subscriptions by doubling their cost — from 650 to 1,300 leva per month for the blue zone — which would naturally reduce their number. The “Save Sofia” initiative argues that their proposal, including a 5-leva-per-hour red zone in the city centre and smaller increases for resident subscriptions, is preferable.

Andrey Zografsky, city councillor for “Save Sofia,” commented:
“Under this proposal, residents would pay 300 and 600 leva for a first and second car. In our report, we aimed to protect residents in the zone as much as possible from these changes.”

Disagreement mainly concerns how parking revenue should be used — all parties agree it should fund parking construction. BSP, however, takes a more radical stance.

Ivan Takov, BSP city councillor and chair of the transport commission, said:
“Instead of focusing on building new parking facilities or making public transport more convenient and accessible, the easiest solution is to take money from Sofia’s residents to solve the parking problem.”

The proposals will be open for consultation for one month and may be revised before being presented in the chamber.