CYCLISTS may finally be able to get around the centre of the capital without having to mount pavements or inconvenience drivers, as plans for bicycle routes have been drawn up by the ministry of communication and works.
According to an official at the ministry, the aim of the project is to join the main universities with bicycle routes through the city centre. The universities included would be: the University of Cyprus and its campus, the European University, the University of Nicosia and Frederick University.
The project would involve taking a lane from some of the main roads such as Kallipoleos and Stasinou, that would normally be for drivers, and turning them into a lane for cyclists.
“We have a plan involving the municipalities, which is currently being studied by a committee, which will see whether the project can be approved,” said the official.
He said it was high time Nicosia became a European city by making room for other modes of transport.
If the plans are approved, the relevant departments will begin work on it by September, with a view to completing the project in two years.
In comparison to other EU member states Cyprus is especially behind in the types of transport available to the public. In recent years very few steps have been taken to accommodate those sections of the population who do in fact make use of a bicycle as a mode of transport.
Cyprus currently ranks 16 out of 133 countries in terms of car ownership, with more bicycle-friendly countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark coming 19 and 21 respectively when it came to owning a motor vehicle.
Head of the cycling organisation Podilatokinisis, Andy Hadjivassiliou commented that he could only approve of the plan if it was done properly. “If they just paint a line along the road and say that that’s the cycling route then I could do that, but unfortunately the Cypriot driver is not mature enough to deal with that, especially if pedestrians are being run over on pavements,” he said, referring to a hit-and-run on a pedestrian in Paphos on Tuesday night.
Other EU countries such as Amsterdam have segregated cycle paths, after a rise in cyclist deaths in the early 1970s convinced the Dutch government to re-think its system.
“It’s a good concept to join up the universities with a cycling route but I have reservations as to whether it will be done properly,” he concluded.
