Thousands of vehicles are expected to flood Bulgarian roads at the end of May 5 2010, and the following day, May 6, which marks the beginning of the four-day long weekend.

Thursday May 6 2010 and Friday May 7 2010 are declared non-working days because of the May 6 public holiday when Bulgaria honours its armed forces.  

As in previous years, traffic is expected to intensify at exit points to big cities. The hot point in Sofia is expected to be the E-79 road to the Greek border, via Pernik, which traditionally creates problems for motorists because of its poor condition.

Traffic Police have decided to position additional officers on this particular road section (from Knyazhevo borough to Pernik) to prevent massive traffic jams and confusion.

On May 5 2010, Greece faces a 24-hour long nationwide strike that could affect Bulgarians’ plans to visit Greece over the holidays. So far, Bulgarian travel agencies have not reported mass cancellations of visits to Greece because of the strike, but they do report an overall drop in the number of Bulgarians visiting the country.  

Increased police presence is also expected on Hemus highway, linking Sofia with Varna on the Black Sea coast, as well as on Trakia highway linking Sofia with Plovdiv and Bourgas on the Black Sea coast.

To avoid being stuck in traffic, police have advised motorists to pick their travel time carefully, to check their tyres and fuel, keep to the speed limit (90km/h), keep their distance from other vehicles, avoid risky overtaking and remain calm during the journey.  

Heavy congestion is expected on Sunday May 9 2010 when people return to the big cities.