Serious changes in paid parking in Burgas are being considered by the local administration. They were presented during a forum organized by the Municipal Council, an Iskra.bg reporter reported.
The introduction of a new red zone, in the ideal center of the seaside town, is being considered. Parking there will be limited to three astronomical hours.
In addition, the blue zone will be expanded and will also cover residential area „Vazrazhdane“. The green area that surrounds the Sea Garden can become year-round.
At the beginning of the forum Chairwoman of the Transport Committee at the Municipal Council Evelina Mihaleva announced that last year alone nearly 9500 new cars were registered in Burgas. This figure does not include the cars of Ukrainian citizens who currently live in the city, as well as those of people who came from other settlements but did not re-register their cars.
„I believe that, once again, the city of Burgas will introduce the most innovative parking methods, entirely in the interest of the city’s citizens,“, chairman of the Municipal Council, Mihail Hadzhiyanev said.
„Burgas is a very beautiful European city. This is my city and I want things to happen here in the easiest and most pleasant way, and life for local people to be stress-free. However, in Burgas, as in many other large cities, we have to take into account the already established network, which is small. There are many one-way streets, but despite this, and despite the blue and green zones in place, parking spaces are extremely insufficient. No one can win the fight with the large number of cars worldwide,“, Evelina Mihaleva said for her part. Then she added:
„Last but not least, Burgas has been a very attractive festival city in recent years, and in connection with these festivals, many cars arrive in the city during the summer months and traffic and parking become extremely busy. We need to make people’s stay more pleasant and stress-free. In many European cities buffer parking is available and then people use public transport. Other cities have completely organized the traffic in their central part with bicycles.“
In Burgas, according to Mihaleva, there is a very well-organized public transport with a very precise timetable. In addition, there are year-round conditions for moving by bike, but still something is clearly missing.
During the forum, experts also spoke on the parking problem. They presented a wide variety of European and global practices, including red zones and a strong restriction on the entry of cars in central urban areas. They also include buffer parking lots, as well as those for bicycles.
