The Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, met with the Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, Christos Staikouras, on the issue of dealing with traffic congestion, which is becoming increasingly intense, as well as the safety of pedestrians and drivers.
The Mayor said: "In Athens, the traffic is unbearable and worsens yearly. So a model change is required immediately to set it up. In the meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, Christos Staikouras, I submitted a detailed proposal of 16 points for a comprehensive policy to deal with traffic.
"Among other things, we seek the creation of a single, overarching Agency, the substantial upgrading of the media, adequate policing, and a series of regulations for demonstrations/events, taxi ranks, catering, etc.
"With a plan, cooperation and complementary actions, we can bring order to the chaos on the capital's streets".
The broader goal is to change the traffic management model in the capital to mitigate the traffic in Athens and not further degrade the Athenians' quality of life, reported News Auto.
One of the proposals submitted by the Mayor of Athens is the abolition of the dispersion of responsibilities and the establishment of a single body under the administration of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, in which all existing bodies involved in the planning and operation of transport will actively participate in Athens.
From here on, the proposals submitted include the upgrade of the essence of Mass Transportation, the more substantial presence of the Traffic Police on the streets of Athens, the promotion of the Municipal Police, the utilisation of new technologies, the extension of the green ring, the revision of the framework for the events but also the hosting of foreign officials outside the centre.
Other issues are the improvement of the infrastructure to support the movement of citizens on foot or by bicycle, the drawing up of a plan for cargo loading and unloading and its strict implementation, the location of new taxi parking points, the formulation of a plan for the movement of tourist buses, the expansion of controlled parking and the creation of an appropriate institutional framework for the implementation of car sharing.
Also, the Mayor of Athens proposed imposing a general speed limit of 30 km/h on all the streets of the capital for the excellent safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. This measure is already applied in many European cities - Paris and Brussels - while the limit will not apply to specific road arteries.
