Parking problems at Cyprus University

THE University of Cyprus is seeking ways to tackle the problem of illegal and obstructive parking on its grounds, also considering wheel clamps as a way of ending the practice of dangerous violators.

According to one university official, the Health and Safety Officer tabled proposals to deal with the problem following two occasions when illegally parked cars obstructed safety entry and exit points, preventing an ambulance and fire engine from passing through. University visitors even take up spaces reserved for disabled drivers.

The problem has reached such proportions that the university is considering the introduction of wheel clamps and other measures that would deter the current trend of ad hoc parking.

For the moment penalties include £5 fines, the proceeds of which go to a welfare fund for low-income students and a sticker on the driver’s windscreen, which can only be removed with hot water.

According to yesterday’s Phileleftheros, students refuse to pay the fines, putting forward the argument that they have no choice but to park illegally since the parking capacity doesn’t cover student needs.

One university student noted that parking was available just outside the campus but that most people were concerned with getting as near to the entrance as possible.

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.