Objective is projects that will give breathing room to Limassol's traffic Coordination between the Ministry and Municipalities to tackle the city's traffic problem

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works aims to promote short, medium, and long-term projects that will give breathing room to Limassol's traffic problem, according to the competent Minister, Alexis Vafeadis, who expressed hope that, by the end of the year, three sections of the northern bypass will be at the tender launch stage.

The issue of alleviating Limassol's traffic problem was the focus of a meeting at the Limassol Town Hall on Monday morning, in the presence of the Mayor of Limassol, Yiannis Armeftis, the Mayor of Polemidia, Andros Theodorou, the Mayor of Amathounta, Kyriakos Xydias, and the Mayor of Kouriou, Pantelis Georgiou, as well as representatives from all competent government departments.

In a city where approximately 10,000 cars are registered every year, Alexis Vafeadis stated in his remarks, the road network must be continuously upgraded and completed. "Therefore, this meeting aims at coordination, both in terms of which projects must be implemented first and which later, as well as regarding funding and coordinating the subsequent implementation of the projects, to ensure they finish on time," he said.

"We are continuing with the purpose of providing solutions to this massive problem," he said, adding that he has requested a finalized priority list for project implementation to be submitted in 2-3 weeks, so that those which can be done immediately can be included in the 2027 budget.

What is happening today, he continued, is to ensure coordination, a collective effort "to include the necessary projects in the budgets and execute them."

Although the implementation of the northern bypass is a priority, he pointed out, there are small projects that can be done immediately which the Municipalities have identified and can "provide quick breathing room."

Asked whether the Government will be able to push forward the project for the northern bypass, which was among the announcements of the President of the Republic, he answered that "this is our goal and I believe we will do it," while expressing conviction that "by the end of the year we will have three sections of the northern bypass at the tender launch stage."

Asked about the issue of Park & Ride schemes, Alexis Vafeadis said that those implemented in Limassol so far might not be utilized appropriately, "but we do not stop here," stressing that "it may not be a solution that will be embraced immediately, but we have an obligation to provide good alternative options regarding public passenger transport, and we hope citizens will embrace it."

Regarding the creation of bus lanes that have been prepared in Limassol, the Minister said that "we must not look at them in isolation, but as part of a total project," and expressed the same view as the Limassol Municipality's position that specific conditions must first be met for them to operate. "I have agreed with the Municipality that they will be put into operation only when all projects are completed, when there are parking spaces, and when we are able to run the correct number of buses, because it is a mistake to have an empty lane with a bus passing only every now and then," he added.

On his part, the Mayor of Limassol, Yiannis Armeftis, expressed his satisfaction with the Ministry's initiative to discuss, along with all the Mayors of Limassol, the projects that will contribute to reducing traffic.

"We have determined our priorities, which are the northern bypass and small, short-term implementation projects that can be promoted as soon as possible," he said, emphasizing that the key point is the execution timeline of these projects, "because every day that passes makes the lives of Limassolians unbearable."

Furthermore, he stated that around the end of June, the issue of the northern bypass will be discussed specifically, "a project that has been discussed for 20-30 years and is finally entering a path toward implementation."

When asked whether there are thoughts on creating a tram system in Limassol, Mr. Armeftis said that "a preliminary study is being prepared regarding whether this project is viable, and we will look at it in a little while."

"Beyond that, we cannot rule anything out. We want to implement something that will be convenient and serve the people of Limassol," he added.

Regarding the bus lanes, the Mayor of Limassol reiterated the municipal authority's position that they are necessary, but "it must be done in a coordinated manner and not in isolation or fragmentarily, with the arrangement of a larger lane, matters having to do with better parking management, and a better, organized system of frequent, dense routes."

In the framework of the meeting, he continued, projects from the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) were also discussed, where the Municipalities have requested the improvement of certain projects that "could have been designed better."

The Mayor of Amathounta, Kyriakos Xydias, stated furthermore that "for years this city was neglected and is suffocating," noting that the local authorities are willing to assist in determining priority projects and promoting them, such as by taking over studies and tender proclamations.

At the same time, he underlined that the state must find a solution for funding these priorities and for "overcoming the procedures between government departments that cause massive delays, resulting in the time needed simply doubling the cost."

Moreover, the Mayor of Kouriou, Pantelis Georgiou, stated that "as the most rapidly developing Municipality of Limassol, it is apparent that the traffic problem is growing day by day," and noted that, from measurements, it appears that out of the 90,000 cars passing through the highway daily, 35,000 use the road arteries falling within the boundaries of the Kouriou Municipality.

Welcoming the Minister's decision to set priorities and categorize projects, he said that "one change that is coming, and we see the Government is willing to make, is for the affected Municipalities themselves to take responsibility for the studies."

"I believe this will provide the opportunity to also offload government departments, which are burdened with the entire territory of the state, and give the opportunity to Municipalities, who know the locally arising problems best, to move forward," Mr. Georgiou concluded.

It is noted that no statements were made by the Mayor of Polemidia.

Source: Brief