Sofia parking fee hike sparks debate over fairness and infrastructure

A municipal councilor from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, Ivan Videlov, has strongly criticized the decision to set new paid parking rates in Sofia, labeling the price hike as racketeering. The city’s blue zone will cost two euros and the green zone one euro starting next year.

A councilor from the We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition, Dimitar Petrov, defended the change, stating it was designed for consumer convenience. He argued that the increase is proportionally less than the rise in average salaries. He also explained that the reform would generate an estimated 60 million leva in additional revenue, which would be directed toward infrastructure projects rather than administrative costs.

Videlov countered that the paid parking system has failed to deliver on its original promise to finance the construction of new parking lots over the past two decades. He asserted that the municipal streets belong to the people and accused the city of extorting money without providing improvements. In response, the PP-DB councilor attributed the lack of parking infrastructure to the previous administration’s inaction. Videlov concluded by questioning why Sofia only adopts restrictive policies from Western Europe without addressing fundamental issues like schools and kindergartens.