Four hundred and fifty meters and a short walk currently separate Lybia from the occupied village of Louroutzina. This separation is expected to change soon, following yesterday’s agreement between Olgin, Christodoulides and Erciyuman to open a new checkpoint at that location and facilitate travel to and from the free areas.
A crew from the Alpha News program, led by journalist Iakovos Iakovou, was on site next to the Buffer Zone where the new checkpoint is expected to open and recorded the reactions ofresidents, who so far have received no information about the developments.
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Pantelis Xynisteris, Deputy Mayor of Lympi, explained that the creation of this specific crossing point appears to primarily serve the Turkish Cypriot residents of Louroutzina, who remain effectively cut off from the wider region. A development that, according to him, could yield benefits comparable to those that would result from the potential opening of the Pyroi–Aglantzia roadblock.
At the same time, the operation of a new crossing point could also offer economic benefits to Lybia, through increased visitor traffic and the commercial activity that might develop in the community.
Call for a Perimeter Road
The main issue raised by the local authority concerns how traffic will be routed if the roadblock is removed.
The Deputy Mayor makes it clear that determining the exact crossing point is the responsibility of the government and the relevant ministries, in consultation with the United Nations, as the area is located within the buffer zone.
However, the community’s main concern is that the center of Lymbia not be burdened with additional traffic. As he explains, the streets within the village are narrow, and the presence of a school in the area heightens concerns about potential traffic congestion and disruptions to residents’ daily lives. For this reason, the local authority is requesting the construction of a bypass road, which will handle traffic to and from the potential new checkpoint without requiring vehicles to pass through the center of the community.
The proposed route will pass beneath the area’s small church and will end at the main road between Lymbia and Lythrodonta, bypassing the residential center.
The local authority now expects to be invited to a consultation by the relevant authorities so that its concerns and suggestions can be discussed, before any decisions are made regarding the project’s location and implementation.
