I WAS more than a little surprised that the shopkeepers of Vitosha Boulevard attributed a drop in sales of as much as 40 per cent to the closure of their street to all cars, including taxis. The reason for my surprise was the fact that I had realised that my own increased shopping pleasure due to this closure had resulted in a four-fold increase of expenditure on my part.

This bold act by the new mayor can only be applauded, as the majority of the parking spaces were for a large part reserved for the usual ‘VIP’ Gangsta Machines of Sofia’s ruling ‘serious businessmen’ class. And as I only rarely see these individuals buy anything in the ‘normal’ shops, I can only presume that they are visiting offices or, at best, one of the coffee shops, such as Upstairs and Lavazza.

I believe that the real reason for the lack of sales might rather be found in the usual January weather and a shortage in disposable funds of the general shopping public.   Bulgarians are only just getting used to real sales, instead of the usual mark-down of previous mark-ups and Christmas presents are becoming a more and more serious affair. It might be useful for the merchants to examine these factors rather than shifting the blame to traffic.

I truly hope that the mayor and the city council stick to their commitment and leave Vitosha Boulevard car-free.

The additional enforcement of Sofia’s existing ‘no parking on the left side’ law has also seriously improved the quality of life for both local residents and shoppers alike.

It now is a pleasure to be able to walk, at least on one side of the road, without having to wiggle through a maze of double- and sometimes triple-parked cars on both pavements.

One may argue that the city should have first have come up with a parking policy, but surely it is not unreasonable to first enforce the law and to make it clear to motorists that parking in the centre of the capital is a privilege and that using paid parking such as the service offered at NDK (National Palace of Culture) is a good idea.

I see the main reason for the lack of parking discipline not in the refusal of the drivers to pay for parking (although there is some truth in this too), but more in the fact that the motor vehicle for most residents of Sofia, both local and foreign alike, is still a major expression of who they are. To own a car in this country is still a luxury and people want to display their worldly possession for the entire world to see and admire. Hence, the average driver in Sofia will insist on being seen getting in-and-out of their car in front of their destination and not three blocks away. Parking so far away would entirely defeat the purpose of their trip in their own car and they might as well have taken a taxi...

If you believe that this is a Bulgarian phenomenon, you are very much mistaken. It has come to my attention that more and more expats have started to identify themselves with the ‘Big Neck’ elite and have obtained large 4x4’s and oversized German alternatives to penis enlargement.

Of course, with such a Super-Sized display of wealth, you want to be seen parking. And especially when you have red (diplomatic) plates on your car, you want to be seen not just parking anywhere, but also to be admired for getting away with breaking every law in the surprisingly comprehensive Bulgarian traffic code.

Every time I drive in Bulgaria it amazes me how the Corps Diplomatique has taken to imitating the Bulgarian hierarchy.

On the way back from our Christmas break in Pamporovo I played a little game called ‘count the traffic offences committed by diplomats’. The grand total was 18, varying from speeding through villages at what I estimated was over 110km/h to reckless overtaking in the mountains to even bumping another car and not stopping, but rather speeding away.

I suggest starting a ‘name-and-shame’ list of diplomatic licence plate numbers with date/time and crime and maybe pictures made by mobile phones to stop this embarrassment.