COMMUTERS are wasting 100,000 hours every day in traffic, the Communications Minister told Parliament yesterday, announcing a number of measures to tackle the growing spiral of congestion.
Nicos Nicolaides said a number of measures – some immediate, others long-term – would be taken to ease the traffic situation in Nicosia.
The minister outlined the measures to the House Communications Committee, setting September 1, 2009, as a “big day for public transport in Cyprus”.
The minister said this would be the date when the new plan for public transport would be implemented in all towns and surrounding areas.
The plan provides for 300 to 350 more buses by September 2009 and a gradual increase to 1,200 buses by the year 2014. There will be more bus routes with regular stops, and clear signs that will inform the public on the services offered.
The parliamentary discussion was held to discuss the current traffic chaos at the entrance into Nicosia and the possibility of building a roundabout at the Kalispera traffic lights, where the situation is at its worst during peak hours.
As an emergency measure, Nicolaides said he had already arranged the operation of a third lane off the highway for drivers turning left onto Athalassa Avenue, with changes in lane operation to improve traffic flow on Athalassa Avenue itself. Ellispontou Road has also been temporarily turned into a one-way road for motorists who want to go north towards Athalassa Avenue.
Ironically, there measures have initially made the situation worse, as drivers get used to the new situation and traffic lights are readjusted.
Deputies made a number of suggestions for new entry and exit routes to the capital, as well as resurrecting an old call for the creation of trams.
“We have a difficult problem to deal with, which won’t be resolved with the creation of bigger roads and more junctions,” Nicolaides told the Committee. “Today there are around 700,000 motorists in Cyprus, of which 80,000 enter Nicosia daily,” he added, pointing out that only two per cent of Cypriots used public transport.
The government, he continued, has actively shown its desire to create a good public transport system, which is why it has already allocated significant funds for the purpose in the 2009 budget.
Speaking after the session, Nicolaides said everyone agreed that the only way to resolve the traffic situation in Nicosia was to create a modern and effective public transport system, which he said was the government’s strategic plan.
Referring to the aim of having it up and running by September 2009, Nicolaides admitted that this was a long-term solution, which was why his ministry had prepared a number of immediate measures.
“For example, we will make traffic regulations, such as special routes, encouraging common use of cars, examining parking issues and encouraging bus use,” he explained. These measures, according to the minister, will be implemented in the next weeks and months.
On the plus side, the minister referred to the success of the airport shuttles, with 37,000 passengers using them so far, as well as school buses, which have been used by 12,500 pupils since the school year started last month.
“These two actions are part of our immediate measures regarding special routes, encouraging the public to use public transport en masse to get to specific destinations,” Nicolaides explained, adding that the ministry planned to expand these routes further.
A survey is also underway for a bus service to transport patients to the island’s hospitals, as well as students to universities and colleges.
This, said the minister, would alleviate the situation further. “If there were no school buses, the situation would have been even worse today,” he pointed out.
DISY Deputy Christos Stylianides described the situation as “tragic”.
“We have all suffered and the state has a duty to apologise,” he said. “The minister today announced a number of measures that can’t be implemented straight away; Nicosia can’t take much more, the town is already choking.”
