Tenders for smart lights installation on October 15

The tender for the installation of smart traffic lights will be announced on October 15, according to Transport minister Alexis Vafeades.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), he said he estimates that the lights will begin to be installed in mid-2024, with installation set to be complete in 2025.

He added that the lights “will improve traffic”. They will work by using artificial intelligence and sensors to give priority to traffic accordingly, including to buses and emergency vehicles.

“A person will no longer wait at a red light if no one is passing through a green light at the same intersection. The smart lights will recognise that there is no vehicle on the given road and give priority to the vehicle stopped at the red light,” he said.

He also said that studies from countries where smart traffic lights have already been installed show a reduction in traffic between 10 and 35 per cent.

The first smart traffic lights in Cyprus were installed as a pilot scheme back in 2021 on the Ayia Fyla roundabout, with Vafeades now saying the aim is to install them across the island.