No cars for six hours

HUNDREDS of people abandoned their cars to amble or cycle down Makarios Avenue in Nicosia yesterday as part of the ‘In Town Without My Car’ initiative to celebrate European Mobility Week.

The event was organised by Nicosia Municipality, the Environment Service, the Green Party, Police Headquarters and the Cycling Club.

Makarios Avenue and side roads leading to the main thoroughfare were closed from 9am to 3pm yesterday, allowing cyclists and residents to stroll past the shops and cafés without the steady rumble of traffic.

There was free parking at three of the capital’s main car parks during the campaign, and yellow buses provided a free shuttle service to the centre.
Nicosia Mayor Michalakis Zampelas, Greens deputy George Perdikis and town councillors joined in the campaign to raise awareness of the need to act against pollution caused by increased traffic in towns and cities.

According to the European Mobility Week (September16-22) website, ‘In Town Without My Car’ initiatives arose from the finding that today almost 40 per cent of the transport sector’s carbon dioxide emissions are produced by private cars in cities.The operation is three-pronged: to encourage the use of more efficient and cleaner forms of transport; to raise awareness and inform city-dwellers of the long-term risks of air pollution, traffic-related diseases and noise; and to show the town in a better light thanks mainly to reduced traffic within restricted areas.
One cyclist, 42-year-old Rory McDermott, said it was a shame more people had not shown up, given the extensive publicity on the campaign. “More people in Cyprus should do more cycling. Very few people turned out today which is a shame. But it’s a start,” he said.

Will more people leave their cars at home? “No, not in Cyprus. We need to change our attitude and get the infrastructure right. We need more bicycle lanes,” McDermott said.

Another youthful passer-by noted: “It’s wonderful. It’s really great to be able to walk down Makariou and text without getting run over.”

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