Cyprus-Forum.com

[twinkle]

A day full of everything – except cars
By Alexia Saoulli

SHOPPERS planning to hit the capital’s high street this Saturday will have to do so on foot as Makarios Avenue will be closed to cars.

The move is part of the annual ‘In Town, Without My Car’ campaign, always staged on the last day of European Mobility Week.

This year’s campaign has been organised by the municipality of Nicosia in conjunction with the Agriculture Ministry’s Environment Service, the police, the Laiki Group, the American Heart Institute, the Young Volunteers, the Cyprus Health Runners Club, the Pericles Demetriou Cyprus Runners Club and the Cyprus Bicycle Club.

Makarios Avenue will be closed off to traffic from 9am to 2pm starting from Stasandrou junction (City Plaza) right up to the Leonidou and Evagorou Streets junction (Capital Centre). A portion of Theofanis Theodotou Street, from where it crosses Makarios Avenue up until Vassilisis De Tyras Street and all of Arnaldas Street will remain closed.

Throughout the five hours parking at the public parking lots D’Avila, Tripoli and Costanza – Bairaktari will be free. The public will also have free access to the city’s yellow buses which will carry out routes along the three parking lots.

The Municipality said it hoped drivers followed instructions and traffic signals to limit congestion.

September 22 will also mark the start of the Laiki Group’s charity functions to boost its Radiomarathon coffers, as well as the start of World Heart Week.

The campaign’s aim is to encourage citizens to use environmentally friendly public transport and to raise awareness about the pollution caused by cars.

“It is to give another look to the town by banning cars from its central street,” a municipality announcement said.

During 9am and 2pm the Laiki Group’s Information Technology Service will hold a fundraiser outside the bank’s store on Makarios Avenue. It will include various children’s entertainment activities and the sale of a number of charity items. The money raised will go towards the Radiomarathon.

A two-hour bicycle ride will also kick off from outside the bank at 9.30am and circle Nicosia, ending up back at the bank at 11.30am.

At 10am on the same day the American Heart Institute, in co-operation with the Pericles Demetriou Runners Club, the Cyprus Health Runners Club and the Young Volunteers, will host a seven-kilometre run along the streets of Nicosia under the slogan ‘running for a healthier heart’. A cultural programme is scheduled for 11.30 with songs from the Young Volunteers’ choir.

“I think it’s a great idea but I’ve never really taken advantage of being down there when they host this campaign because I’m usually still at home in bed,” Thekla Ioannou, 26, told the Cyprus Mail.

“I think that they should do it more often though so that it benefits more people and the environment. They should do it on a week day,” she added.

Andreas Christou, 35, said he was all in favour of Saturday’s campaign.

“I was down last year with my kids and it was fantastic. I didn’t have to worry about cars or exhaust fumes or anything. It was just lovely being able to walk anywhere without thinking a car was going to hit one of the children,” he said.

“I’ll definitely be there this year as well. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Andri Michael was less impressed.

”Every year it’s the same. I don’t see the point. It’s not like anything changes. They just put people out and on Monday everything is back to normal as are our bad habits. I think they should be building public transport systems first and then hosting these sorts of empty campaigns that have so far had no effect,” Michael, 45, said.
Nicosia mayor Eleni Mavrou could not yesterday be reach for comment.

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2007

Agreed. Absolutely pointless exercise. Nothing gets done to improve public transport so people continue to drive.

[humanist]

cool I love car free days, it feel so cool to take to the streets and walk about hjump n skip and not to have to worry about the 4 wheeler heading your direction determined to get you off the road dead or alive and not kicking