Traffic chaos at Acropolis Gymnasium in Nicosia has raised safety concerns, with over 1,200 pupils relying on a single entrance during peak hours, a parliamentary committee heard on Thursday.
The secondary school shares its site with the English School, whilst the Junior School sits metres away, creating severe congestion that has plagued parents, pupils and teachers for years. MPs warned that emergency vehicles would struggle to reach the area during the daily gridlock.
DIKO MP Chryssis Pantelides, who raised the issue in the House transport committee, said cars remain stuck for several minutes each morning and afternoon. He questioned what would happen if an ambulance or fire engine needed to reach the site.
Officials discussed possible planning solutions to ease the problem, whilst the English School said it was considering changing its timetable.
Years of unfulfilled promises
The committee focused on measures approved over the years but never implemented because Strovolos municipality could not secure €10,000 for a topographical survey of the affected area. Confusion also appears to exist over which authority should carry out the works.
The transport ministry noted the issue had come before a technical committee three times, with various problems identified but proposed measures never implemented. These included:
Creating pedestrian and cycle infrastructure within the English School grounds, strengthening school bus services with additional stops, building two extra car parks at either end of the schools, and widening the English School exit towards the Presidential Palace roundabout with an additional lane.
Police approved plans about six years ago to extend two existing lanes near the Agrotis traffic lights, which would merge at the Presidential Palace roundabout.
The work has not been completed and will not happen soon, according to officials, as Cyprus takes over the EU presidency in 2026 and numerous official vehicles will travel near the Presidential Palace.
In 2024, Nicosia School Board proposed additional measures, including short-term parking spaces for parents on 28th October Street and Stelios Mavromatis Street, a pedestrian and cyclist bridge at the traffic-light junction of Presidential Palace Avenue, Strovolos Avenue and Archbishop Kyprianos Avenue near the Agrotis bookshop, and an internal network of pedestrian and cycle paths serving both Acropolis Gymnasium and the English School.
School board takes initiative
Following the committee hearing, Nicosia School Board chairman Nikos Megalemos said the board would carry out the topographical survey within approximately two months.
Committee chairman and DEPA MP Marinos Mousiouttas requested a letter be sent to the committee around mid-January on the project’s progress.
English School considers timetable change
Beyond these solutions, English School board chairman Nicholas Kyriakides said the school was examining whether to change the times lessons begin. However, he clarified this remained under consideration as studies had not yet been conducted on whether such a move would help.
Kyriakides also made clear that an access point exists for ambulances in emergencies. He expressed the English School’s readiness to assist with the topographical survey to identify the best solutions.