Our View: Radical mobility plans should be put in place as soon as possible

The government has very ambitious and radical plans for managing the traffic on the roads of the capital. Two studies are currently underway for the plan for Sustainable Urban Mobility, the first drafts of which will be ready in autumn, when they would be given to the Public Works Department for implementation.

Explaining details of the plans to Phileleftheros, transport minister Yiannis Karousos said they include the setting up of bus lanes and designating one-way roads to accommodate them, which would inconvenience car drivers during rush hours but greatly benefit people using public transport. Public transport will be upgraded, though the offering of more bus routes, and keeping bus lanes exclusively for buses. Smart traffic lights would also be introduced, which will turn green as buses approach allowing them to pass.

The idea is to encourage more people to opt for using buses, as well as make life difficult for drivers, considering that the alternative would be getting stuck in a traffic jam and needing much longer to reach a destination. More one-way roads would probably also increase rush-hour congestion.

Government plans do not stop there. Karousos also said his ministry was looking at the possibility of changing the opening time of schools from 2023 as well as the introduction of staggered working hours in the public service so that early morning congestion could be eased – the ministry was considering moving opening times to between 7:40am and 9am. This proposal, the minister said, would be put to the social partners, suggesting that it is unlikely to ever be implemented. If we are to be realistic, what are the chances that public school teachers would ever agree to start school at 8:45am? Younger public employees may be prepared to start work later.

It is indeed an ambitious plan that is guaranteed to meet with opposition from many quarters. We would not be surprised if car users organised themselves into a pressure group to fight the mobility plan rather than use the bus, but the government would have to show resolve. Even more important, would be the upgrade of public transport. Bus routes would have to substantially increase as would the frequency of buses if more people are to be persuaded to use them.

There should also be advertising and marketing campaigns. A few weeks ago, the Greens suggested offering free travel on buses for a few months to encourage use. With the price of fuel at unaffordable levels, for many, this may be the time to promote bus use, but the upgrading of the service that Karousos spoke about, should take place as soon as possible if this opportunity is to be exploited.