site.btaUPDATED Toll and Municipal Cameras to Track Speeding under Newly Adopted Road Traffic Act Amendments

Parliament adopted amendments to the Road Traffic Act at second reading on Wednesday, allowing municipal surveillance cameras and those from the national toll system to be used for detecting speeding violations. The changes allow for the introduction of average speed monitoring over designated road segments. The electronic toll collection system will generate reports for section control of average speed.

Municipalities operating automated technical devices or systems will exchange data with the Interior Ministry’s information systems to support administrative enforcement of traffic violations.

Parliament also approved that Interior Ministry officers in uniform may carry out traffic control duties using unmarked Ministry vehicles in cases where the traffic violation poses an immediate danger.

The adopted provisions specify that signals to stop from unmarked police vehicles must include flashing blue lights, special sound signals, or illuminated messages reading "POLICE!" in both Bulgarian and English, or voice instructions via loudspeaker.

Lawmakers also voted to require the State Road Safety Agency to submit a report to the National Assembly every six months on the state of road safety in Bulgaria.

Drivers of motor vehicles who exceed the speed limit in settlements by more than 40 km/h will now be punished with a fine of BGN 600 and a two-month driving ban.

Drivers who exceed the speed limit outside settlements by more than 50 km/h will also have their driving license suspended for two months. Until now, the penalty was only a fine of BGN 600 plus BGN 50 for every 5 km/h above 50 km/h.

A fine of BGN 50 will be imposed on electric scooter drivers who do not wear a helmet. A fine of BGN 100 will be imposed on electric scooter drivers who ride at night or on roads and streets where the maximum speed limit is over 50 km/h, with the exception of streets with bicycle infrastructure. The fine for riding an unregistered electric scooter or riding at speeds exceeding 25 km/h, as well as when transporting other persons, will be BGN 200. 

Parliament also decided that fines for traffic violations detected by municipal cameras will be divided equally between the municipality and the Road Safety Fund of the Interior Ministry. The municipality will spend these funds only on activities related to improving road safety.

When the owner or user listed on the registration certificate of the vehicle with which the violation was committed is a legal entity or sole trader and its legal representative does not declare to whom it has entrusted the management of the vehicle, the penalty shall be imposed on the legal representative of the owner, or the user, respectively, MPs also decided.

For a violation established and recorded by an automated technical device or system, for which no penalty of deprivation of the right to drive a motor vehicle is imposed, without the exceptions provided, an electronic ticket fine shall be issued in the absence of a control authority.

Parliament also approved the introduction of one-day vignettes for cars up to 3.5 tonnes using the national road network. 

A proposal made by Alexander Ivanov MP of GERB-UDF, adopted with 143 votes in favour, 0 against and 3 abstentions, introduces a new provision according to which, by a decision of the Council of Ministers, vehicles with foreign registration that pass on the toll road network in connection with the implementation of intergovernmental and/or international programmes and agreements, may be temporarily exempted from paying toll tax. Ivanov motivated the proposal with the need to take into account conditions often related to emergency situations and the protection of human life and health. He said the change would enable fire-fighting vehicles from neighbouring countries to help extinguish fires in Bulgaria. Bulgarian fire trucks are also exempted when in neighboring countries, Ivanov explained.

The adopted provisions differentiate the toll taxes depending on the technical characteristics of the road or road section, the distance travelled, the category of the vehicle, but also on the “total technically permissible maximum mass, the environmental category Euro, CO2 emission class and specific CO2 emissions”, instead of the current “environmental characteristics”, and determine them for each individual road or road section.

The MPs also voted that the Customs Agency, just like the National Revenue Agency, should have the right to access data in the Electronic Toll Collection System in accordance with a procedure to be defined by a regulation.

Earlier this month, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said that following amendments to the Road Traffic Act, toll cameras will begin monitoring vehicles driving in emergency lanes on motorways and tracking average speeds, with penalties issued for violations. National Toll Administration Director Oleg Asenov specified that driving in emergency lanes on motorways will incur penalties starting July 19. 

In April, Parliament approved five bills on first reading to amend the Road Traffic Act. One major change would allow automated systems to issue electronic tickets for minor traffic violations - even without direct police involvement - provided the offence does not involve license suspension or penalty points. These e-tickets will be subject to appeal under the Administrative Violations and Penalties Act.