Bulgaria plans for heavy traffic ahead of forecast white Christmas
Bulgarian authorities have announced plans for restrictions on movement of heavy goods lorries on motorways and major roads, and a stepped-up traffic police presence before a weekend expected to see heavy traffic in the run-up of a Christmas forecast to see snowfalls.
According to Bulgarian weather forecasters, the weather will be relatively warm for the season, up to Christmas Eve on December 24, when temperatures will plummet and in many places, Christmas Day will see snow and rain.
On December 21, 22, 26 2018 and January 1 2019, there will be restrictions on the movement of vehicles of more than 12 tons, according to an order by Bulgaria’s Road Infrastructure Agency.
Ahead of the weekend before Christmas, hundreds of thousands of cars are expected to leave Bulgarian capital city Sofia for places elsewhere in Bulgaria.
According to the Interior Ministry, traffic police will be mainly involved in regulating traffic, and also seeking to penalise motorists undertaking risky manoeuvres, including overtaking where it is not safe to do do, failure to maintain a proper following distance, and motorists who are drink-driving or driving after using illegal drugs.
Bulgarian state railways BDZ said that it was making available an additional 15 400 seats in trains for the Christmas to New Year period.
The additional seats would be available in trains, travelling from December 21 to January 2, to Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Svilengrad, Kulata, Stara Zagora, Rousse, Lom, Vidin, among other destinations.
Bulgarian weather forecasters said that capital city Sofia would see temperatures of a minimum minus one degrees Celsius on December 25, rising to one degree, with light snowfalls. Bulgarian second city Plovdiv was forecast to see a maximum high of five degrees Celsius that day, with mixed snow and rain.
At the Black Sea, Bulgaria’s Varna was set for a low of minus three and a high of three degrees Celsius, with rain and now, and Bourgas was set for a low of zero and a high of eight, with light rain.
In Bulgaria’s main winter resorts, Christmas Day was forecast to see cloudy weather in Bansko, rising to a high of 12 degrees, while Borovets would be snowy with a low of minus seven, rising to zero, and in Pamporovo, minus six rising to minus one, with snow.
