Bulgaria: The Most Polluting Cars Out of the Center of Sofia during Winter

The most air-polluting cars - from the first ecological group with EURO 1 and EURO 2 standard, will not be able to move in the center of Sofia from December 1 to February 28 next year.

This envisages a draft ordinance submitted for discussion to the Sofia Municipal Council. The document creates two low-emission zones. The first one, in which the ban starts this year, is called "Small Ring" and covers the square between Vasil Levski Blvd., Patriarch Evtimiy Blvd., Gen. Skobelev Blvd., Opalchenska St., Blvd. Slivnitsa.

The second zone - Big Ring, is between Slivnitsa Blvd., Danail Nikolaev Blvd., Sitnyakovo Blvd., P. Yavorov, Atanas Dukov Str., H. Blvd. Ibsen, Blvd. Yu. Todorov, Blvd. E. Geshov, Blvd. Velichkov. However, the restriction for cars with ecological group One will come into force only on December 1, 2025, and for those with ecological group Two only in 2028.

The ordinance proposes: "Small Ring" 01.12.2022 M1 and N1 with ecological group One, "Small Ring" 01.12.2025. M1 and N1 with ecological group Two, "Small Ring" 01.12.2028 M1 and N1 with ecological group Three, "Big Ring" 01.12.2025 M1 and N1 with ecological group One and "Big Ring", 01.12.2028 M1 and N1 with ecological group Two.

M1 is a category for motor vehicles for the carriage of passengers, in which the number of seats, excluding the driver's seat, is not more than 8. N1 is a category of vehicles intended for the carriage of goods with a technically permissible maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 t.

The creation of the ordinance for low-emission zones is one of the requirements of the Sofia City Court to limit air pollution in Sofia. The...