One side effect of Bulgaria's growing economy is something that is causing a headache for municipalities - a shrinking number of parking places.

Designed by communist-era urban planners, Bulgarian cities' centres are no longer capable of accommodating the ever-increasing number of motor vehicles that Bulgarians can afford to buy, due to the large number of leasing companies and the low prices of second-hand motor vehicles.

As the largest city in the country, Sofia was the first city to introduce a "blue zone" in its central area, with motorists paying to park. Currently the price is one lev an hour, which can be paid in cash to municipal employees or via SMS.

The blue zone has proven a good solution for those looking for parking just for an hour or two, but for people spending the entire day in central Sofia, it has been less efficient, because every hour or two, an SMS has to be sent or a new blue zone ticket put under the windscreen. Even then, all blue zone signs say that parking is allowed for no more than two hours.

The penalty for parking without paying in the blue zone is 30 leva to the municipal company that has confiscated the vehicle, and a fine by the Traffic Police, starting from 20 leva depending on previous violations. For every hour the motor vehicle is at the company's holding area, a one lev fine is levied.

This procedure has led people living or with businesses in the central areas to using "tricks" to keep a parking space not included in the blue zone "reserved" for them without paying the municipality. These "tricks" include placing an object, usually a chair or a plastic box, to reserve a space. This usually leads to arguments with other motorists looking for parking.

People resident in the central area are allowed to park there free of charge but only after a formal declaration that they live there. So far, the method has been a printed copy of the vehicle's registration stating that its owner lives in the area. This has met resistance from some residents, who claim that it is a disclosure of personal data, which prompted city hall to say that it would issue people with special tickets.

An alternative to the blue zone is the "reserved parking space" service offered by the city hall to those with the money to afford it. The fee depends on the location of the parking space, with the central area - which is almost 95 per cent included in the blue zone - naturally holding the highest prices. The price for a parking space reserved for a month in the blue zone is 450 leva, Slavcho Lazarov of the municipal company Parkingi i Garazhi told The Sofia Echo. If the street is not included in the blue zone, like, for example, some of the streets around Doctors' Garden, the price is 390 leva a month. So an annual subscription would cost a driver between 4680 leva and 5400 leva a year.

All one has to do is apply to the company and wait for approval. The service itself costs between 15 and 30 leva.

Other cities have started following Sofia's example. Some have already introduced annual subscription fees while others are in the process of introducing blue zones.
The most recent example of the former is the mountain resort town of Velingrad, where city councillors decided to emulate their Sofia counterparts by introducing an annual parking space subscription.

In the last week of April, Velingrad councillors decided to introduce a price for reserved parking space of 2000 leva a year. Councillors decided that the fee would be the same for companies and individuals, as in Sofia, rejecting a proposal to charge a separate 200 leva fee for individuals. The reason for the introduction of the fee was simple - the interest shown by companies.

Other cities, such as the Black Sea's Varna and Vratsa in northern Bulgaria, have started discussions on introducing blue zones.

In January this year, it was announced that Varna would include the areas around the city hall in a blue zone similar to Sofia. The area is frequently used by motorists, and with the thousands of tourists every summer it is impossible to park, the municipality said.

Four months later, all the municipality has to do is to set up a company similar to Sofia's Parkingi i Garazhi to take charge of the blue zone as well as to set a price for using the blue zone.

At its first session after the Easter holidays, the council will debate whether to introduce a fee of 50 stotinki or one lev an hour, and three or four leva for three hours in the blue zone.

The difference to Sofia is that, if the council approves, the blue zone regulation will be more merciful to motorists in Varna, who will be allowed to park in the blue zone for up to three hours. The fine for non-payment will be 10 leva. Another major difference to Sofia is that vehicles will be confiscated only of they stay in the blue zone for more than nine hours without paying.

Vratsa has followed the same model. In April, for the second time this year, the city council started discussing the introduction of a blue zone. Again a company under the name Parkingi i Garazhi will be set up.

The second-largest town in the country, Plovdiv, is somewhere in the middle. The city still uses a regulation adopted in 2004, the city council told The Sofia Echo.
This was the most recent time that the fees for reserved parking spaces were raised.

The regulation provides for various categories of customers, such as banks, currency exchange bureaux, offices and shops. According to the regulation, banks and currency exchange bureaux are asked to pay 160 leva a month for a reserved parking space in the central area, while offices and shops have to pay 100 leva a month.