Limassol shop owners and residents to stage protest over road works

Shop owners and residents of Nicos and Despina Pattichi street in Limassol who are against the construction of a central traffic island will stage a protest at the transport ministry on Friday, armed with a list of different proposals.

According to the transport ministry, the construction aims to reduce the number of fatal and serious traffic accidents on the street.

The shop owners however say if the project does not provide for an adequate number of parking places they will be ruined.

Last month they warned last month they will oppose the road works “using both legal and other means”.

They suggest installing speed bumps where there are pedestrian crossings, pruning trees which block the vision of drivers, improving road lighting, placing traffic signals and cameras and increasing patrols.

In addition, they demand that a single yellow line be placed along the road on both sides to allow the short-term parking of suppliers and consumers, as well as the immediate allocation of parking spaces which, as they claim, “are illegally taken over by the municipality of Limassol and turned into parks, sidewalks, outdoor cafés and greenery.”

The contract for the creation of the traffic island was signed in May and construction is scheduled to start in about two weeks.

After the contract was signed district engineer of the department of public works Thrasos Afamis said parking spaces will be created where there is available space.

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