Court Orders Halt to Controversial Traffic Changes in Sofia

The Supreme Administrative Court has ruled that the Metropolitan Municipality must terminate the new traffic organization around "Vitosha" Blvd., "Patriarch Eftimii" Blvd., and "Prof. Fritjof Nansen" St. This decision upholds a previous order from the Administrative Court of the City of Sofia, which found that the actions implemented by officials from the Sofia Municipality, under the direction of Deputy Mayor for Transport Iliyan Pavlov, were unlawful. These actions included drawing new road markings, placing road signs, and installing barriers.

The Supreme Administrative Court noted that there was no legal norm or administrative act supporting these actions, rendering them baseless. Additionally, the court pointed out that the validity period of the General Plan of the Capital Municipality had expired at the time these actions were taken, meaning there was no effective plan in place to justify the changes.

The new traffic organization was introduced during the Easter holidays and sparked days of protests at the intersection of "Patriarch Eftimii" Blvd. and "Prof. Fritjof Nansen" St. Local residents, business owners, and users of commercial establishments in the area were particularly vocal in their opposition. On May 10, an extraordinary meeting of the permanent committee on transport of the Capital Municipality was held, and shortly afterward, the Sofia-city Administrative Court ruled against the new traffic organization around the National Palace of Culture.