Festive Season traffic: Bulgaria restricts lorries from motorways
Lorries have been banned from using Bulgaria’s motorways and several main roads at certain times as car traffic is expected to peak with the coming of the Festive Season holidays at the close of December.
The ban applies to vehicles of more than 12 tons, but does not apply to vehicles transporting perishable foodstuffs and refrigerated goods, live animals and dangerous cargoes, Bulgaria’s Road Infrastructure Agency said.
The ban will be in effect on December 20 from 4pm to 8pm, on December 21 from 8am to 11am, on December 23 from 4pm to 8pm, and on December 26 from 2pm to 8pm.
The Road Infrastructure Agency urged motorists to ensure that their vehicles were prepared for winter conditions, to drive carefully and at appropriate speeds, not to attempt risky manoeuvres and not to use emergency lanes to try to travel faster.
From December 20 to January 5, police, assisted by gendarmerie, will be conducting a special operation against speeding, drink-driving and driving after using illegal drugs, in the Sofia district and in Pernik. Unmarked cars will be involved in the operation, police said.
A briefing at the Interior Ministry was told that the largest traffic was expected at the Bulgarian-Greek border. Motorists have been urged to use the smaller checkpoints rather than the Kulata border crossing.
Ahead of the holidays, Bulgarian state railways BDZ said that it was providing more than 28 000 additional seats on trains travelling on main routes in the country. The extra carriages would be added to trains from December 20 to January 6 inclusive, BDZ said.
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