Traffic changes in Sofia due to three big protests tomorrow, May 18

On 18 May, Wednesday, changes will be introduced in the organisation of traffic in Sofia in connection with the holding of protests coordinated under the Law on Gatherings, Meetings and Manifestations, the Sofia Municipality said on May 17. The trade unions of Sofia's public transport workers are organising a protest with three assembly points:

1. Lions’ Bridge
2. Stochna Gara.
3. Pette Kyosheta (Five Corners)

The stated starting time is 8 am at the assembly points, from where marches to the Ministry of Finance will begin at 9.30 am.

Temporary traffic disruption is therefore expected between 9.30am - 10am on the following routes:

• From “Lions’ Bridge Square” along “Maria Luiza” boulevard, Blvd. "Tsar Osvoboditel", “Georgi Rakovski” Str.;
• From “Stochna Gara” along Blvd. "Vassil. Levski" Blvd. "Tsar Osvoboditel", “Georgi Rakovski” Str.;
• From “Five corners” along Blvd. "Patriarch Evtimiy" and “Georgi Rakovski” Str.;

At 10.30 am, the protesters in front of the Ministry of Finance will march to the Council of Ministers, follwoing the route: .

“Georgi Rakovski” street – “Tzar Osvoboditel” boulevard – “Knyaz Alexander Batenberg I” Square - “Tzar Osvoboditel” boulevard to “Nezavisimost” (Independence) square.

From 11 am to 1 pm, the protest will be in front of the Council of Ministers.

The second protest to be held tomorrow in Sofia is of the National Taxi Trade Unon.

It starts with an assembly point at the South arc of the Ring Road, between Blvd. "Cherni Vrah" and Blvd. "Bulgaria".

From 07.00 to 22.00, parking of road vehicles is prohibited on “Maria Louisa" boulevard, in the section between Blvd. "Todor Alexandrov" and Exarch Yosif" str.

From 09.00 to 22.00, traffic is prohibited and the parking of the vehicles of the protesters is allowed in the slow right lane of the road or the parallel secondary road, providing the entrance-exits of the adjacent sites without affecting the public transport stops and outside the slip zones of the Ring Road between Blvd. "Cherni Vrah" and Blvd. "Bulgaria", in the direction of "Bulgaria" Blvd.

Only if necessary and at the discretion of the Traffic Police, from 10.00 to 22.00, vehicles will be prohibited from entering "Maria Louisa" blvd, in the section between Blvd. "Todor Alexandrov" and “Ekzarh Yosif” str., except for public transport vehicles.

For the third protest organised by the Chamber of Road Carriers in Bulgaria, the following changes in the traffic organisation are introduced:

From 07.00 to 22.00, parking of vehicles, except for the buses and lorries of the protest participants, will be prohibited as follows:

• all car parks on "Alexander Nevski" square.
• on. "Kn. Alexander Dondukov" Blvd., in the section between "Zletovo" str. and "Independence” square;
• "Todor Alexandrov" Blvd., in the section between "Hristo Botev" Blvd. and "Kn. Maria Louisa" Blvd.

From 08.30 to 22.00 hours, the traffic is prohibited and the parking of the buses and lorries of the protesters is allowed in the two active right lanes of the roadway, by providing the entrance-exits of the adjacent sites without affecting the stops of the public transport as follows:

• on "Tsarigradsko Shose” Blvd. in the section between Ring Road and 7 Kilometre (road junction with Christopher Columbus Blvd.), in both directions.
• on the boulevard. "Botevgradsko shose" between “Jumbo” shop and "Christopher Columbus Blvd. "Vladimir Vazov", in both directions
• on "Tsaritsa Ioana" Blvd. between "Pancho Vladigerov" Blvd. and "Dr. Petar Dertliev" Blvd. In the direction of the centre, slow lane.

Only if necessary and at the discretion of the Traffic Police, from 10.30 to 22.00 on 18 May 2022, the entry of road vehicles, with the exception of public transport vehicles, will be prohibited as follows:

• Blvd. "Kn. Alexander Dondukov”, in the section between "Chavdar" bridge and "Independence" square;
• Blvd. "Todor Alexandrov", in the section between Blvd. "Kn. Maria Louisa" and "Opalchenska" street.