Alexis Vafeiadis, Minister of Transport, Communications, and Public Works, emphasized the urgent need to improve road safety for motorcyclists following a meeting of the Road Safety Council, announcing the Council’s decision on a series of measures focused on motorcyclist safety, including a campaign to inspect all maintenance performed on motorcycles through Private Vehicle Technical Inspection Centers (IKTEA).
“The relevant committee has undertaken to document these measures, evaluate them, and submit recommendations for adoption by the relevant ministries,” said Mr. Vafeadis, following the meeting held at the Ministry of Transport in the presence of, among others, the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Costas Fytiris; representatives of the Police and Public Works; and the President of the Cyprus Motorcycle Federation and Road Safety Ambassador, Adonis Christofides.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The main topic of the meeting was motorcycles, which is why we also had the participation of the President of the Cyprus Motorcycle Federation, Mr. Vafeadis noted, adding that the goal is to hold a new Council meeting within a month.
Among the measures for motorcyclists, according to the Minister, “we can say that we will proceed with subsidies for the purchase of safety equipment, possibly for the scrapping of old motorcycles that lack the necessary safety features, but we will also launch a campaign to inspect all maintenance performed on motorcycles through the IKTEON.
Mr. Vafeadis stated that this year’s traffic accidents resulted in 15 fatalities, 7 of whom were motorcyclists.
Of those 7, he said, 4 were confirmed not to have been wearing helmets, and “there is also the possibility that 6 of the 7 were not wearing helmets, because the helmet was found nearby” at the scene of the accident.
This is a major issue regarding road behavior and was a major focus of the Council’s discussion today, he added.
He also noted that one of the problems is that a motorcycle “may not be well-maintained, and this, unfortunately, contributes to the improper handling of an incident, which results in a very serious accident.”
He added that “we will also look into this issue to see whether mechanics are properly maintaining the motorcycles or not.”
“We are launching an initiative focused on the safety of motorcyclists and we are moving forward,” he emphasized.
When asked how mechanics will be checked to ensure they are performing proper motorcycle maintenance, Mr. Vafeadis said that the Department of Road Transport maintains a registry for vehicle inspection centers (IKTEO) and that a campaign will be launched to verify what the IKTEOs are monitoring, what has passed through the IKTEOs, and what happens the following day.
He noted that “a similar campaign was conducted when we had issues with buses, and cases were identified where the law had not been properly enforced regarding the inspections that mechanics were required to perform.”
When asked to comment on subsidies, the Minister of Transport said that “in recent years we have been systematically providing subsidies—we had provided them for several years for airbags.”
He noted that today they discussed with Mr. Christofides that “we will likely need to revisit the issue of helmets, with new specifications, and consider how we can help people obtain helmets so as to protect motorcyclists in the event of an accident.”
“It is something that is included in the Ministry’s budget, and it is simply a matter of deciding on the specifications and announcing them,” he added.
When asked if there would be a campaign in English for those who do not speak Greek, Mr. Vafeadis replied in the affirmative, saying that this “is necessary because we have many foreigners in Cyprus who ride motorcycles, and the message must reach them as well.”
The Minister thanked the President of the Cyprus Motorcycle Federation, Adonis Christofides, who participated in the meeting and is this year’s road safety ambassador, noting that Mr. Christofides gave a presentation and proposed a series of measures.
The Minister then gave the floor to the President of the Cyprus Motorcycle Federation to state his position on the matter so that “the public could also hear what it means to be a motorcyclist, to face these issues on a daily basis, and how they themselves suggest moving forward,” as he put it.
Mr. Christofides said that “it is very important to offer our expertise regarding the improvement of motorcycle road safety in Cyprus” and added that they conveyed the “clear views” they hold.
“We see that the state authorities are willing to respond so that we can take substantive measures to address the problem,” he noted, expressing confidence that “through our cooperation, we will be able to achieve significant results.”
At this point, the Minister of Transport said that Mr. Christofides has agreed to participate in the relevant committee that will handle these issues and added that “at the next Council meeting, we will be able to announce which measures we are adopting and when they will be implemented.”
He noted that the proposals for these measures were put forward by Mr. Christofides and added that one of them came from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.
Mr. Christofides said that these are proposals concerning immediate actions, as well as medium- and long-term actions, “so that we can address the issue with a comprehensive policy.”
“This is a very serious issue that cannot be addressed with mere piecemeal measures,” he added.
Ministry of Interior to soon decide on ban on practicing profession with learner’s permit
When asked whether the measures apply to all motorcycles regardless of engine displacement and what happens to those driving with a learner’s permit, Mr. Vafeadis said that regarding driving with a learner’s permit, “very soon we will have a decision from the Council of Ministers to begin implementing the legislation.”
“The six-month extension is coming to an end, and all motorcycle drivers will have to comply with certain basic safety requirements,” he noted, adding that one of these safety requirements “is that they will not be permitted to work professionally with a learner’s permit”.
For his part, the President of the Cyprus Motorcycle Federation said that “we must start treating motorcycles with the same standards,” adding that motorcycles should not be distinguished “by large or small engine displacement.”
“The approach to motorcycles is the same whether from the perspective of drivers, riders, or others,” he noted, adding, “and even a small motorcycle can be dangerous.”
“A large motorcycle, when ridden properly, is much safer than a small one, and vice versa,” he concluded.
Source: CNA
