The new parking rules in Sofia, which include the expansion of paid parking zones and higher prices, are the result of a long discussion process that began in 2016. This was stated by municipal councilor from the PP-DB Dimitar Petrov on the air of NOVA NEWS. According to him, active talks on the topic have been taking place since the beginning of the current mandate in 2024, with the goal being to reach a solution in which all political groups are “equally dissatisfied” in order to find a compromise.
According to Petrov, the main goal of the changes is to reduce motorization in the capital and to find funds to build new parking lots. He assured that the money collected from the parking zones will now be spent transparently, and will be managed by the district administrations.
In response to citizens' concerns that the new layouts will reduce the number of parking spaces, the municipal councilor stated that the opposite is true. “The spaces are not decreasing, they are being separated, and in places, such as the “Lozenets“ and “Yavorov“ districts, they will even increase”, he said. According to him, this will happen because the new marking will put an end to the practice of unscrupulous drivers parking incorrectly and occupying more than one space.
A key element of the reform is the abolition of paper parking tickets from July 2026. This measure aims to end the vicious practice of drivers occupying one space for an entire day, by combining payment by SMS for two hours with subsequent payment via coupons.
Despite the arguments of the proponents, public dissatisfaction remains high, and the dispute about the future of traffic and parking in Sofia is yet to flare up.