State and media put heads together on road issues
TRAFFIC CONGESTION is costing us €100m every year, it was claimed yesterday. The estimate was made by Director of the Public Transport Programme, Michalis Lambrinos, who said the costs are a result of the continuous construction of new roads and from fuel prices that have become “unbearable”.
Lambrinos made the announcement yesterday at an open discussion with the media, where the Communications Ministry announced plans for a strategic programme for public transport and road safety.
The programme will include all the necessary action, which will contribute in the creation of an effective, safe, reliable and competitive public transport system.
At the meeting, the media was invited to give their opinions and proposals on ways to improve the promotion of matters of road safety, and issues concerning public transport.
Some of the suggestions made by the media representatives were the creation of a tram line (preferably solar-powered) through major cities and the much-discussed issue of the creation of a car racing track. The guests also suggested late-night radio shows hosts advise drivers to pull over if they feel sleepy, TV spots and a shuttle-bus system in the major cities to transport passengers to Larnaca airport.
The media representatives believe that the Cypriot public will be more responsive to ads that show motorists how to drive properly rather than how not to drive.
They suggested that the spots should be advertised during prime time and that they be Cypriot productions so they appeal to the public and this would make it easier to relate to.
Communications Minister, Nicos Nicolaides, said that for the promotion of the programme, an Advisory Committee will be appointed.
The strategic programme for public transport will cover all of Cyprus. First estimates predict the entire programme will cost €50 million a year and will be completed in ten years.
“Everybody has the right to unrestricted movement, including those who cannot afford a car’” said Lambrinos. “There is a need for easy access in all transport means, a need of good quality air, for the reduction of noise pollution and the need of reduction of deaths and injuries from road accidents”.
Nicolaides said that the Christofias government has committed itself to reduce road accidents, and he underlined that “the tax of blood that we pay is mostly on the asphalt”. He added that the majority of victims of car accidents young people under the age of 25, which “does not allow us to rest assured”.
Presenting statistics of the last five years concerning road accidents, the Head of the Road Safety Unit of the Communications, Georgios Morphakis, said that from 2003 up to 2007 the numbers of fatalities per year were approximately 100, the number of severely injured people was 810, slightly injured 1,916 and there were hundreds of individuals with permanent disabilities.
Morphakis said that the government aims halve the annual road toll by 2010.
“Speeding is the main cause for the 25 per cent of fatal accidents in Cyprus. Alcohol was detected in 40 per cent of the drivers involved in fatal road accidents over the last five years, while over 60 per cent had exceeded the permissible alcohol limit,” Morphakis said. From the 301 dead drivers in the last five years, 122 of them were under 25.
