IT’S NO secret that people love their cars. A quick perusal of the island reveals a dense population of four-wheelers filling every highway to dirt path, garage to showroom, picnic to pavement.
But what happens when you start interfering in that intimate relationship between man and machine? When you ask people to dilute the “Master-Motor Experience” and car pool on the way to work?
The answer is panic, confusion and rejection.
The Communications Ministry has floated the idea of “radical change” in the transport system for months now. The general feeling is we have reached critical mass on the roads and if measures aren’t taken soon, road transport will take the way of politics and reach gridlock.
One of a number of measures announced is the “2+ Lane”, sounding more like a fantastic new pharmaceutical product for intestine trouble than a transport measure. The system, borrowing from abroad, aims to ease up traffic on one of two lanes on a dual carriageway, but applying in both directions of traffic. It does this by reserving the left lane for buses, taxis, emergency service vehicles, cars driven by the disabled, motorcycles and finally, private vehicles carrying two or more people, hence the “2+”. All vehicles that do not fall into these categories have to use the right lane on roads where 2+ applies when driving from Monday to Friday, between 7am and 7pm.
The idea is to free traffic on one lane for public transport and car poolers while making life harder for those commuters who refuse to get on a bus or share their journey to work with others.
To test the waters, the ministry announced that it would introduce the system as a pilot project for a short period during the quieter summer months, from June 29 (tomorrow) until August 16. The testing ground will be Nicosia’s main thoroughfares going in and out of the city, Limassol and Makarios avenues. If successful, the project will be continued and expanded across the island’s road network (where necessary of course).
The measure will be complemented by an increased number of bus routes on the two avenues while 2+ is in effect. There is a real hope among the brainstormers in the ministry that when combined with parallel measures to improve public transport, more people will be convinced to hop on the bus. Or at least, a few people might want to take advantage of the faster (left) lane by offering the neighbour a ride to work.
Well, perhaps predictably, the reaction from the public was not what the mandarins had hoped for. People could not quite understand how it works, when it works and were even more dubious about whether it could work.
Radios were inundated with calls by motorists slamming the scheme, while one man even set up an online petition to prevent the government from implementing 2+, attracting a notable 1,311 signatures.
“We deem this a very feeble attempt to solve a major traffic problem with basic, not thought-through ideas and demand it stops immediately,” says the petition.
Moans and groans were even heard from the Nicosia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which said the scheme would end up causing more traffic chaos and delays.
Sensing mutiny in the ranks, the ministry postponed the launch date, June 29, pushing it back ten more days to give the public more time to become more acquainted with the measure.
Communications Minister Nicos Nicolaides was fully aware of the opposition to the measure, saying in one radio interview: “The people’s reactions are understandable.”
He called for the public’s understanding and cooperation to make the scheme work. If people abide and one lane is freed up, this will act as an adequate incentive for people to take advantage of that lane.
“Take the bus or use your car with another passenger. It is the right message,” said Nicolaides.
Of course, getting the public on board is only part of the reason the scheme was postponed. Ministry officials had predicted that now schools have closed and people have started going on holidays traffic would fall to about 70 per cent of the normal level by this point in the summer. This has yet to happen, meaning that implementing the scheme now would cause so much traffic chaos as to render the state at the mercy of thousands of horn-pressing single-passenger vehicles.
“We have calculated that when traffic falls to 70 per cent of the normal, then the measure won’t create insurmountable problems, it will create some problems,” said the minister.
He added that problems were necessary and even desired so that transport officials could evaluate the merit and viability of the scheme. One ministry official told the Sunday Mail that the scheme could always be moved to another part of the city if it didn’t work there.
“The first few weeks are always chaotic, that’s why we prefer to do it in reduced traffic to let people get used to it. We want to evaluate various things, how people will react, whether they will conform. There is no way to tell with certainty beforehand how many will start car-pooling or using buses. Right now, the overwhelming majority drive alone,” said the official.
One of the greatest gripes people have of the scheme, at least those who are aware of it, is how will motorists enter the left lane in time if they need to turn into a left exit. As road signs currently show, you can only enter the lane around 10m just before your turn on a small exit and around 50m on a bigger turning at a traffic light.
“The idea is the left lane will have less traffic, so we expect it to be easy to have a gap in the road to change lanes as a result, as long as you indicate early enough.”
The fine for non-compliance stands at €23, but the word on the street is that police will give a certain grace period at the beginning. However, if this grace should last too long, chances are the word compliance will come to symbolise the pipe dreams of transport officials.
“We are not trying to amass money through fines. We are trying to help public transport, reduce traffic congestion and increase car-pooling,” he said.
“We can’t be sure if Cypriots are ready for this. Scepticism does exist. There is a fear that it is more complicated than it actually is.
“But they will adjust. Change is always difficult. Despite opposition, Cypriots can become disciplined when they realise their quality of life will improve.”
Wishful thinking or prescient realism? It remains to be seen, but in the meantime, the Sunday Mail wants to be the first to predict that some wily motorists will try cheating the system with the help of a blow-up doll or two.
CAPTION: This motorist borrowed Manolis from Nicosia’s Funny Business shop to see if he could be an effective tool in fooling the “2+” police.
