The measure for a low-emission zone in the center of Sofia is discriminatory and segregates people into rich and poor, in addition to being palliative and meaningless. This was said by the chairman of BSP - Sofia, of the group of socialists in SOS and of the Commission for Transport and Road Safety, Ivan Takov, on the occasion of its introduction for the second season in a row. According to the Ordinance, from December 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025, it will be prohibited for the most polluting cars, which during the annual technical inspection have fallen into the zero, first or second eco-category, to enter the square between the "Vasil Levski" boulevards, "Patriarch Euthymius", "Gen. M. D. Skobelev", "Oplchenska" and "Slivnitsa" or the so-called small ring.
"Ever since the last mandate, we have been appealing this change in the Ordinance, which was adopted by the then majority of GERB and DB, said Ivan Takov. - The former mayor Yordanka Fandakova segregated people into the center and outer districts, and the current one - into rich and poor. If you have money for a new car, you will be able to enter the center of Sofia, if you don't - you will stay outside the small ring".
Ivan Takov is adamant that this measure will not solve anything and will remain only on paper. "Last year there were no fines, I expect it to be the same this season, he commented. - According to the Law on Protection of Atmospheric Air Purity, CO must issue fines through acts, not through receipts. And how will he do this with offenders who are not from Sofia?
Statistics from last season show that the vast majority of offenders were with cars that did not have Sofia registration. How will the documents be delivered to them in their places of residence? The act must be delivered personally to the offender. Even this has not been cleared as a regulation. Among other things, I am fully aware of the capacity of Mayor Terziev's administration. Most likely, this measure will remain a campaign on paper, as long as they scratch their tongues and report activity. And we will continue to breathe dirty air in Sofia".
The chairman of the Committee for Transport and Road Safety in SOS noted that the center of Sofia is not among the points with the most polluted air in the city. "In the outer districts, where many people heat with solid domestic fuel, the problem of air cleanliness is much greater, he said. - Therefore, this measure in the center is meaningless. And not only will it not solve the problem, it will also create a new one. There will be serious pressure on the borders of the small ring, as the old cars will have to park on the small streets adjacent to the restricted area. We are all aware of how big the problem is with parking and also with traffic jams.
Colleagues know that this measure will not lead to anything good. But there were criminal proceedings against the Metropolitan Municipality because of the polluted air, it was even ordered to take immediate measures. Such restrictive measures as the low emission zone are the easiest to introduce and blind people's eyes. The real solution to the problem of polluted air starts with dealing with street dust. He is the biggest polluter. Cars rank between third and fifth in the various pollutant rankings we've done and looked at.