Residents of Old Town in Plovdiv Protest over New Access Barrier Rules

Residents of Bulgaria’s second largest city of Plovdiv threaten to block the access to the historic Old Town on 2^nd of November. Their protest is triggered by the new rules for access to the Old Town architectural reserve.

Residents, hotel and restaurant owners protest because the access of their vehicles to their homes and business buildings is now through an electronic barrier and a chip. According to them, no one from the municipality informed them that new rules were introduced as of 1^st of November and that a chip is required to go past the barrier. They said the new Ordinance did not take into account their needs.

According to the new requirements, the number of access passes is reduced, both for residents and businesses. Each hotel is allowed to have 3 chips and each restaurant will have one.

A family is allowed to have one chip, no matter how many cars its members have. Access to schools, kinder gardens and universities is also limited.