Over 3,000 violators are being recorded daily by the municipality's cameras after the ban on the entry of old and non-ecological cars into the center of Sofia. The measure has been in effect since December 1 and applies to cars from the 1st and 2nd eco-category, which is determined at the Annual Technical Inspection (ATI). The sending of tickets by mail has already begun. The fine is 50 leva for a personal car and between 1,000 and 2,000 for a company car.
3,800 violators were detected within 24 hours on December 2 in the ideal center of Sofia. This was announced by Dimitar Petrov - director of the “Traffic Management and Analysis“ Directorate. 90 cameras in the center of the capital monitor which cars can enter and which cannot by license plate numbers.
"The violators will be sanctioned only once per day. If they enter with the same car the next day, they will be sanctioned again", Dimitar Petrov told BNT.
What does this mean in numbers
If we assume that the violators average 3,000 cars and they are all private, then the amount of the fines is 150,000 leva per day.
Related to December 2, when the violators were 3,800, this is 190,000 leva.
Why is it being done
Low-emission zones reduce the concentration of the three main air pollutants - fine dust particles, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. As is known, the eco-category is determined when the car passes the GTP and this is based on the gases it emits. You can check what category your car is HERE.
It is important to know that the border boulevards are not part of the zone and driving on them is allowed.
The ban does not apply to people who live in the center and have a “blue” vignette or “green zone“.
The low-emission small ring will become bigger in 2028, when its territory will increase, and cars with eco category 3 will be added to the ban. The goal is for people to give up their old polluting cars on their own.
Why did these fines come about?
People simply don't know. Especially those who come from the countryside with older cars. If their cars are from eco categories 1 and 2, they should leave them somewhere and not enter the ideal center of Sofia with them. But this is not known because there was no explanatory campaign from the Sofia Municipality. “News“ was released literally at the end of November, that it will come into effect on December 1.
And the 50 leva fine greeting cards have already started to arrive, somehow like New Year's. Congratulations!