[size=75:2w1655p8]Sofia echo Mon, Nov 23 2009

Only Sofia's public transport thoroughfares will be cleaned of snow

Only streets used by Sofia public transport will be cleaned of snow this winter, Bulgarian-language Dnevnik daily said after a November 23 2009 meeting between newly elected Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandukova and snow-cleaning companies.

The city hall had 22 million leva earmarked for clearing snow this winter. This money, however, was insufficient for cleaning neighborhood streets and so would only go towards major city thoroughfares and boulevards as well as the ring road.

Nevertheless, Fandukova said that the city hall was ready to react on an ad-hoc basis should an emergency situation arises.

She said that the city hall's goal was to secure public transport services during the winter. "
The more Sofians take their motor vehicles out on a snowy day, the bigger the problem,"
she said.

The city hall also lacked money to clear snow from bus stops and underground passages, meaning that these facilities will have to be cleaned by refuse concessionaires.

Despite the lack of funds to keep the city free of snow, the city hall said they would not be caught unawares, Dnevnik said. "
We know to a great extent the days and the hours when weather will be worse,"
city hall's Veska Georgieva said.

These - according to the city hall - were the days between December 4 and 7 2009. This forecast apparently came from the Air Force meteorological service, she said. Overall, the city hall could rely on 207 snow-cleaning machines and 82 trucks for removing snow from main streets.

[size=75:2t68tzka]Sofia echo Wed, Dec 02 2009

Sofia prepares for winter onslaught

Snow-clearing machines and equipment must be deployed and operational within two hours of the first snowfall, according to Sofia municipality's new operational plan. If the snow is intense, cleaning companies must be able to deploy them on vital intersections, dangerous crossings, main boulevards and other arteries within an hour, Dnevnik daily reported on December 1 2009.

Sofia municipality's new "
timetable"
pledge marks an improvement from previous procedures whereby equipment was due to be deployed within four hours after the beginning of snowfall. Sofia municipality said that priority would be given to main arteries and boulevards serviced by public transport, followed by other main streets. Inner borough streets, however, will not be cleared.

"
Sofia is well and truly prepared for the winter. The schedules are ready and will be given to the mayors of different municipalities on December 2,"
Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandukova told Bulgarian media. Furthermore, she said that there are currently 207 machines ready to be put in operation.

According to the Operative Plan, public transport stops, stairs, pavements in front of stores, houses, and schools also need to be cleaned. People are responsible, however, for cleaning snow and ice cover outside their own property, she said.