The paraplegics association (Opak) gave the thumbs up to Nicosia’s revamped Kyriacou Matsi Avenue on Tuesday, which, unlike many other areas, has been designed to be accessible to people with disabilities.

“For the first time in decades, people with disabilities can move in the avenue safely and comfortably,” Opak chairman Demetris Lambrianides said.

The revamp should be an example for projects that must be carried out in other areas of Nicosia and the whole of Cyprus, he added.

Kyriacou Matsi now boasts wide pavements and parking spaces for people with disabilities, including on side roads. It has modern urban furniture and mature trees and plants have also been planted.

“Our fellow citizens in many areas of Nicosia like Ayioi Omologites, Kaimakli, Ayios Andreas, and Palouriotissa can move comfortably and safely through a network of pavements that link the neighbourhood with avenues,” Nicosia Mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis added.