Christos Papamichael, the Deputy Mayor of Germasogeia, has criticised works on Limassol’s coastal road for causing traffic congestion, bringing up the serious issues caused in citizens commutes across the city, specifically during peak hours.
Concerned citizens have reached out to philenews, with complaints about the inconvenience experienced on their way to work. Problems with the EMEL bus route (line 30) were also noted, with further road delays.
Deputy Mayor Papamichael has stated to philenews that since the works started over recent days, within the framework of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, there has been an immense amount of traffic congestion which has resulted in significant delays, affecting both drivers and individuals who use public transport.
Papamichael claimed that a distance of two kilometers could take up to two hours in the morning to drive through. He also noted that the Municipality has received a number of complaints from agitated drivers who, he says, are rightfully disagreeing with the way the project is being executed by the contractor, who has undertaken its implementation through Public Works.
He continued to say that the situation is particularly irritating due to the lack of rational planning. Later, he pointed out that the work begins at around 7:00 in the morning, which is when most citizens commute begins, resulting in peak traffic time being further delayed.
“How can it be possible that the whole coastal road is shut down in a city that faces traffic problems every day?” he asked.
In regards to the impacts, Papamichael spoke of chain reactions, pointing out that the operations of emergency services like ambulances, fire engines, and patrol cars are also affected due to traffic congestion.
He also argued that the way in which the works have been carried out is causing citizens to have reasonable reactions, and any possibility to complete the work at night should have been explored.
“I don’t understand why the work shouldn’t be done from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM, as was done in the past for the coastal road paving projects,” he stated.
The Deputy Mayor claimed that even if night hours would increase the cost of the works, the overall economic impact from the loss of productivity caused by traffic congestion is much greater.
“The productivity of the city is being affected, because people cannot commute to work,” he said, adding that workers have been forced to travel back home or work remotely due to the inability to drive in the congestion.
Finally, he expressed his disappointment in the way the project was handled, noting that there was no communication with Public Works.
“I don’t need to contact them to be told this is an ongoing contract. The issue is that we operate as procurers, and not as subcontractors,” he finished.