site.btaLow Emission Zone for Cars Comes into Effect in Central Sofia

The Low Emission Zone for cars in Sofia comes into force starting December 1. The ban on entering the "small ring" of the city centre has an extended scope and will apply to vehicles from first and second eco-group [this is a group assigned to a vehicle during its annual technical inspection], the Sofia Municipality said. 

The ban on entry into the centre of the capital aims to improve air quality and will apply during the winter months - December 1 until February 28, 2025 - and was adopted by a decision of the Sofia City Council at the end of 2022, town hall recalled. 

The restricted zone covers the territory between the boulevards Vasil Levski, Patriarch Evtimiy, Gen. Skobelev, Slivnitsa and Opalchenska street. The border boulevards are not part of the zone itself and the passage of all vehicles along them is allowed without restriction. There are signs to help drivers navigate. 

The ban will not apply to vehicles whose owners have a permanent address in the zone or are disabled drivers with handicap parking permits.

In order to monitor compliance with the restrictions, the CO relies on cameras located at the outer points of the 'small ring' and specialised software that will automatically check against the relevant databases to identify the environmental group and ownership of each car.

Violations will be imposed under the Clean Air Act. Fines will be issued by the Sofia Inspectorate and will start from BGN 50 for natural persons and BGN 200 for commercial entities.

In Sofia, five buffer parking lots have been built at metro stops, where the "park and ride" service can be used, which saves time and inconvenience for residents and guests of the capital, the Municipality said.

Low Emission Zones are one of the most effective measures cities can take to improve air quality. Sofia's Low Emission Zone is one of nearly 400 in Europe, with the number expected to surpass 500 by 2025.