An average speed of 35 km/h has been introduced in cities, and 51 km/h outside populated areas. If these texts come into force, as planned, Bulgarian drivers will have three options. This was stated to the media in parliament by the chairman of Vazrazhdane Kostadin Kostadinov regarding the changes to the Road Traffic Act.
The first option - we drive at 35 km/h in cities and 50 km/h outside cities. The second option is to sell our cars and start using trains and buses. The third choice, if you don't want to use trains and buses, is to buy a horse – make yourself a cart and go back to the 18th century. Then there will be no victims on the roads, because a large part of Bulgarian drivers will be cursed by Tsveta Karayancheva – "Go on foot, man," the MP commented.
It is very difficult to drive on the Trakia highway in the summer at more than 100 km/h, simply because it is congested. In practice, it does not meet the conditions for a highway in Western Europe, but unfortunately it meets the conditions for a highway in Turkey, where highways have a minimum of four lanes, while in Bulgaria they have three, added Kostadinov.
The leader of Vazrazhdane described the situation as very worrying, since, according to him, 15 paragraphs of fines are provided for, which were not voted on yesterday.
The minimum increase is double, because there are fines that increase threefold and fourfold. For example, if you drive at 60 km/h, instead of the permitted 51 km/h, the first fine starts at 500 leva. However, if you commit a second similar violation within a year, the second fine is already 1,000 leva, and for a third violation - your license is taken away. The purpose of this bill is to completely restrict traffic on the roads, and on the other hand to fill the budget, because the state is bankrupt, Kostadinov explained to journalists.
According to him, these changes are a very serious attempt against traffic on the roads in Bulgaria, specifying that the average speed is not a bad proposal in principle, but it works where there is a developed highway network.
We will propose to ban car traffic, then there will not be a single dead person on the roads. I'm telling you honestly. Why hasn't any of those who race at night on the Ring Road been caught so far? Everyone sees and hears the races in Sofia. Is it that difficult, are there no cameras? The police are not there at night, which means that it is done intentionally, the politician also said.
In addition, one of the changes also provides for a minimum distance of three meters between cars in the city, which means that there will be constant traffic jams. There will simply be no traffic in the cities. This is a crackdown on Bulgarian drivers, there will be mass fines and mass confiscation of licenses, Kostadinov warned.
He announced that the party would try to gather enough votes to file a complaint with the Constitutional Court if the changes come into force.
We will also address an official letter to the president, since it is much easier for the president to refer the matter to the Constitutional Court if we fail to gather the necessary number of votes, the MP also said.