Road safety group calls for new rules to protect cyclists

Between 2007 and 2013, 16 cyclists died on the island’s roads while many more were seriously injured, according to road safety NGO “REACTION Youth for Prevention”.

Cycling in Cyprus has greatly increased over the past few years, partly due to the economic recession, the organisation said. However without the correct infrastructure and without measures that are not taken, there are significant risks, REACTION president and Youth European Forum vice-president Marios Stavrou said.

During a presentation with organised groups of cyclists and the Cyprus Cycling Federation, it was decided that a list of suggestions would be submitted to all relevant bodies, some which, Stavrou said, should be implemented as laws.

Some examples include compulsory use of a helmet for people under 16,  fluorescent jacket and an increase in fines for vehicles and garbage bins or billboards that block cycle paths, to €150 and €200 respectively.

Cyclists are also required to follow the Highway Conduct Code and not cycle while under the influence of alcohol.

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.