State institutions have appropriated hundreds of parking spaces in the ideal center of Sofia, instead of them being used by all citizens. This was warned about at a press conference today by the chairman of "Save Sofia" Boris Bonev and Andrey Zografski – deputy chairman of the transport committee in the Sofia Municipal Council.
According to Save Sofia, state institutions have appropriated a total of over 1,000 parking spaces, given that the shortage of parking spaces for general use is precisely in the ideal center. “How many spaces does a minister need exactly? One official car and one space for a guest - that's two spaces. Why is it 30? Bonev asked rhetorically and announced that he had sent a letter requesting an urgent meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly Raya Nazaryan and Rosen Zhelyazkov, because "the National Assembly and the ministries are the biggest violators and this arbitrariness must finally be put to an end."
“The Ministry of Transport is a prime example of the widespread violation of rules by institutions in the center. They should be a moral example, but instead they are seizing municipal property.“, emphasized Zografski.
According to "Save Sofia", the Ministry of Transport has occupied 33 parking spaces, while it is entitled to only 5. According to Zografski, it is even more striking that 20 of these spaces are “reserved“ through an expired and illegal contract concluded by the then mayor of Sofia Boyko Borisov in 2006. Under it, the transport department receives the parking spaces for a monthly rent of 100 leva per space, while the real price for an official subscription is 650 leva (and with the amendments adopted last week, it is about to be increased to 1600 leva).
In addition to the financial damage, according to "Save Sofia", the mayor has no right to dispose of municipal streets in this way. “We call on the mayor of Sofia Vasil Terziev to terminate this contract tomorrow. This can be done unilaterally, since the contract has long expired and there is no legal basis for it to continue to operate. In two days, these parking spaces can be returned to Sofia residents“, said Zografski.
In addition to the 33 parking spaces occupied by the Ministry of Transport, dozens are occupied in front of the Courthouse and the Ministry of Justice. “If only these spaces are released, this is a capacity comparable to a two-story parking lot in the center of Sofia“, stressed Bonev.
Spasi Sofia recalled that their reports ensured the construction of two new buffer parking lots – next to the Slivnitsa and Vitinya metro stations for a total of over 700 spaces. New facilities are being designed in Poduyane and Sredets, and construction of parking lots in Mladost 3, Slatina and Levski is about to begin, but the design of six parking lots has been delayed by the Ministry of Regional Development for the second year.