Municipal police and a budget several times bigger than what it has now was what Sofia municipality needed to make better its traffic problems and finance general development, mayor Boiko Borissov said a business breakfast organised by American-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce on April 3.
Borissov was the first speaker at the meeting and he took no time to strongly word his disaprobation of the way the Cabinet looked down on Sofia's problems, blame Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev of avoiding meetings and postpone the creation of the promised municipal police for months.
According to Borissov, such a body would be able to fully control the against the law parked cars, as well as monitor whether drivers are respecting traffic rules, and thus prevent the city from heavy traffic jams.
Borissov was angry with Stanishev, whom he blame of cutting the city hall's funds, instead of rewarding it for the good job he told it does.
However, the situation also made problems for the city authorities, as in Dikov’s opinion the limited financial resource is limited the administration to carry out its duties in the best way possible. Now the city is trying to set a more successful co-operation with the neighboring municipalities as well, as this would help to get the better with the demographic overload Sofia is facing and would also help other areas to develop.
“Sofia municipality does not have a regulatory base for public private partnerships, for example, but the city is currently trying to create it,” he told.
“After two years of attempts for public-private partnerships, we reached a framework acceptable to all parties, and by the end of April 2008 will start auctions for many underground parking lots."
Two parkings will be construct at the metro stations close to Sheraton Hotel and in Lozenets district, one on Vuzrazhdane Square, one on Alexander Batenberg Square and one under Tsar Boris III Boulevard, which together will have a capacity of about 4000 parking lots.