On Thursday, members of the Parliamentary Committee on Transportation called for immediate changes regarding the implementation of the projects under the Limassol Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), during a debate on the plan’s impact on traffic, road safety, and the smooth operation of the road network.

DISY MP Giorgos Karaiskakis said that Limassol needs modern and sustainable transportation solutions; at the same time, however, it is clear that no project can succeed if it makes citizens’ daily lives more difficult.

“Following residents’ reactions and recommendations from the Limassol Municipality, the Department of Public Works is implementing corrective changes, which will be reviewed today at a meeting of the Limassol Municipal Council, as the Mayor has informed us. At the same time, the project must move forward to ensure its European funding,” he continued.

“For us, the priority is clear. A safer, more functional, and more people-friendly Limassol. We support the modernization of our city, as well as any improvement that will make the Limassol Municipal Police more effective and more citizen-friendly. “Citizens first—that is our guiding principle, and we will continue to work with this in mind,” he noted.

AKEL MP Efraim Christou, said that it goes without saying that the transition to a modern, sustainable, and people-centered transportation model is a necessity for the city and the residents of Limassol; however, at the same time, it is evident that the way specific projects are being implemented raises legitimate concerns regarding functionality, safety, aesthetics, and the daily lives of citizens.

“These interventions cannot be carried out piecemeal or without adequate technical documentation, planning, and public consultation. The success of the SBAK will not be judged by the speed of implementation, but by the extent to which it substantially improves the quality of life and mobility in the city,” he said.

“As AKEL, we call for a substantive evaluation of the interventions that have already been implemented, enhanced consultation with local communities, the Limassol Municipality, and relevant stakeholders, a technical review and improvement of solutions where problems are identified, and the adoption of a comprehensive approach that combines public transportation, micro-mobility, road safety, and rational traffic management,” he explained.

“Limassol needs a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) based on functionality, safety, and social acceptance—a plan that unites rather than divides, that solves problems rather than creating new ones. For our part, we will continue to engage responsibly and with sound reasoning, so that sustainable mobility policies truly serve the people, the city, and the future,” he concluded.

ELAM MP Evgenios Hamboullas said that the SBAK was drafted in 2019, approved during the same period, and began to be implemented in 2024.

“Of course, planning often fails to anticipate potential problems that arise during implementation. Precisely for this reason, we demanded that various complaints and grievances raised by our fellow citizens be taken into account, and at the same time we demanded that the relevant agencies and those responsible for planning finally stop ignoring local authorities and for certain bureaucrats in the ministries based in Nicosia and Limassol to treat us like the poor relative,” he continued.

As he explained, the problems currently facing the city—related to traffic and development—are mainly due to the fact that the city’s development plan should have been completed in 2019, and just 15 days ago, the Ministry of the Interior issued instructions to begin drafting a new local plan that would also address the major traffic problems facing the city and the Limassol district.

“I denounce this; I believe that certain individuals deliberately delayed the study of the Limassol local plan for reasons they already know. I believe that certain individuals wanted to control the city’s development on their own by curtailing the powers of local government, and I state in the strongest possible terms that unless they immediately proceed with specific measuresrelated to the city and the district—solutions to problems they have already created—then they will find us standing against them,” he noted.

DIKO MP Panikos Leonidou said that the Mayor of Limassol is doing a great job, but he is obligated to implement programs, decisions, and plans established by previous mayors and city councils.

“What is happening today in Limassol, however, is a huge problem for almost all residents. It’s not just the traffic cones; it’s not just the general traffic chaos. Therefore, a reassessment of the entire plan and all the work that has been done is needed. “Because as a result of implementing this plan, there are residents and businesses that have suffered enormous damage through no fault of their own, without having made any decisions regarding their own actions or operations,” he noted.

“Therefore, we call on both the Mayor and the Public Works Department to immediately find all possible ways to reverse certain decisions, so that things can proceed smoothly, with the specific goal of gradually fostering a culture among all citizens and to implement measures that are currently unfeasible but may become feasible in the future,” she added.

Alma Movement MP Irini Charalambidou said that Limassol is in a state of utter traffic chaos. “Drivers are forced to head toward Agia Fyla instead of the roundabout, which is in the opposite direction. They drive straight ahead; there is no smaller roundabout where they can make a U-turn, so they are forced to turn around in the fields. “All those who designed this particular area, of course, cannot provide explanations, because similar careless designs exist throughout the Limassol district, but people are at risk,” he continued.

“The responsible agency admitted today that, especially in this particular area, visibility is very poor when a driver wants to turn right. The conclusion is that with the plans they’ve drawn up in Limassol, and the way they’ve placed the posts, the one thing they cannot guarantee is the safety of drivers and Limassol residents; therefore, the entire issue must be reevaluated,” he noted.

Dimitris Souglis, a member of parliament for Direct Democracy, said that work on the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) must be suspended and halted, and the entire plan must be redesigned.

“It is not a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan to install so-called bike lanes in front of homes and residential garages. Limassol has become a place full of bollards. We raised this issue with the mayor and the other relevant authorities; it appears there has been a lack of coordination between the Public Works Department on one hand and City Hall on the other.”

“We asked that at least all the unnecessary small posts be removed. Limassol is not a city that can currently accommodate such projects, given the haphazard way it has developed,” he concluded.

Source: CNA