Raising the price – the easiest reform in “rich Sofia”

The reform of the “blue“ and “green“ zones, presented by Mayor Vasil Terziev, looks more like a fiscal operation in “rich“ Sofia than as real urban policy. Raising prices is the easiest, but also the most superficial tool that a municipality can use,

when there are no ready-made solutions.

Instead of working on structural improvement – construction of multi-storey car parks, reorganization of traffic, incentives for alternative transport, digitalization with a real effect – fees are “increased”, which is presented as “reform“.

It is particularly controversial that those living in the zones are among the most affected.

Subscriptions are becoming significantly more expensive, without offering them either a guaranteed place or better organization.

The zones are expanding, but the capacity is not actually increasing - new streets are simply being drawn up, which were already congested. This is not a long-term solution, but rather a shifting of the problem from one neighborhood to another.

The working hours until 9:00 PM and on Sundays are a measure that mostly affects people who do not live in the center, but work there - it creates the feeling that the city has been turned into a financial scheme, rather than a space for free movement and social life.

The most serious shortcoming is the lack of a convincing vision. Sofia does not suffer from low parking prices - it suffers from a lack of infrastructure, alternatives and consistency. If a reform begins and ends with a tax increase, this is not a reform – this is an admission of managerial impotence.