Cyprus records high car use rate

Cyprus ranked amongst the top for rates of car use in the EU with 645 passenger cars per 1,000 people, far outstripping neighbouring Turkey and Greece but at a similar rate of most Italian regions.

The data collected and compiled by Eurostat show that across the bloc there is one car for every two people – a rate of 0.53 – with Cyprus firmly above that rate.

The Cyprus Mail has previously reported that over 90 per cent of Cypriots opt for private car use – whether through choice or necessity – as their mode of transport.

The most recent figures from a 2019 Nicosia municipality report state that just three per cent of trips take place by public transport and 1.5 per cent by bicycle.

Released on Tuesday, the Eurostat report covers the year 2020 where it found that three of the five highest motorisation rates were registered in Italy: Valle d’Aosta (1,787), Trento (1,285) and Bolzano (871).

At the other end of the spectrum are two French overseas departments and three Greek regions: Mayotte (72), Peloponnese (186), French Guiana (209), Central Greece (238) and North Aegean (261).