Driving on the island can be stressful enough but that only gets worse when you need to stop somewhere

By Philippa Tracy

I don’t usually do new year’s resolutions. But in reading online about other people’s, pre-booking airport parking has got to be the one that struck a chord. Some others that seemed mildly interesting, but not quite as appealing were: prioritising fitness, learning a new skill, indulging in random acts of kindness and giving up alcohol. However, if I were going to make any resolutions at all, it would probably be the parking one. Partly because, in Cyprus, airport parking has been at the forefront of my mind recently.

I have spent quite a bit of time trying to park at Larnaca airport over the past few weeks; and have definitely spent more time there than in the gym. Although, frankly, that isn’t saying much. Over the Christmas and New Year period, I enjoyed several trips backwards and forwards from Nicosia to Larnaca. That is what happens when your children all decide to arrive and leave on different days. At the most inconvenient times of course, because those flights are the cheapest. And then those flights are delayed and eventually cancelled because of bad weather in London. Eight visits to the airport in the last month and counting.

There are several problems with picking people up from the airport, in addition to the parking. Since the arrivals door at Larnaca has been closed to cars, other than taxis, for more than a year, there is total chaos dropping off those who are leaving as the limited space also serves those who are picking up. It doesn’t help that people sit on the motorway’s hard shoulder waiting for a call when people land and then join a ridiculously long queue to pick up. It also doesn’t help when people wait right outside departures for more than the allocated one minute. Why don’t they just park in the short-stay car park? Good question. I tried this more than once at Christmas, only to discover that I couldn’t get in. This may have been why people were parked on double yellow lines outside the airport, on corners and on the mini round-about near the garage, as well as the hard shoulder.

I have called the airport parking service at Larnaca about this more than once, just to check I understood correctly. The only response I received was that the short-stay parking must have been full and I would need to book in advance for long-term. This would seem to suggest there isn’t enough short or long-stay parking available at the airport.

Airport parking

And as anyone who drives in Cyprus will tell you, the airport is not the only place with a parking problem. Earlier this month, residents near the Mediterranean hospital in Limassol complained to a parliamentary committee about traffic chaos around the hospital. There were complaints of people parking on pavements and blocking access that reportedly led to people being treated on the streets. A way more serious issue than not being able to park at the airport!

There was apparently more traffic chaos in Limassol over the Christmas period because of the roadworks and increased passenger numbers on buses. According to one member of staff at the Emel bus company, buses were being slowed down by a lack of dedicated infrastructure compounded by narrow streets, illegally parked cars and drivers blocking bus exits. As well as a general lack of parking spaces, perhaps people are just not prepared to walk very far. In my house some people can’t even walk to the end of the road to buy a packet of cigarettes. The famous driving scene in Woody Allen’s film Annie Hall frequently springs to mind. Annie drives really badly, and way too fast, before squeezing into a tiny parking space right outside her apartment building. Woody Allen’s character, Alvy Singer, is clearly traumatised by the experience. When he gets out of the car, he says, “That’s OK, we can walk to the kerb from here.”

But parking issues in town as well as traffic violations in general are clearly not very funny. At hospitals, supermarkets or airports, there is a common theme: chaos. Is it because there are so many cars in Cyprus and not enough public transport? Transport statistics (2022) from Eurostat (the EU statistical service) show that the average number of passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in the EU has increased to 560. Cyprus has the fourth highest number at 658, after Finland, Luxembourg and Italy (684). There are now some flexible car-sharing apps for short-term car rentals. This may help to cut down on the number of car owners on the road but I am not sure it helps with the parking issues.

There are any number of websites and discussion forums offering advice on the pitfalls of parking in Cyprus and how to avoid breaking the rules. Some would seem to just offer some common sense, such as: don’t park on a pedestrian crossing or in a bus stop, an emergency lane or a disabled parking bay. Would anyone do that? Well clearly, some people do. And continue to do so, presumably because they don’t suffer the pain of getting booked often enough. If you were to park on the pavement and a double yellow line, very close to a pedestrian crossing, you could end up with a fine of €350. Some people might think it is worth the risk.

I certainly saw people abandoning their cars on yellow lines around the airport at Christmas with little regard for the consequences for others or themselves. One friend said they saw someone doing just that, with a suitcase in hand, running for the airport. Surely not? Back in Nicosia, I have also come down to get in my car outside my apartment building to find someone parked in the driveway, or blocking the entrance, so I can’t get out. I have even come back from shopping to find someone parked in my parking bay. Where are all the traffic wardens?

A friend once insisted that you are not allowed to park outside people’s houses or front gates, unless there is a sign that specifically says you can. Someone else told me that you can park on a single yellow line as long as it is only for a short time. Really? And surely if there are no markings on the road, it is a free for all? It made me wonder what the actual rules are. While clearly, traffic wardens work for the municipality, rather than the police, I found a link to the following information about parking fines on the Cyprus police website:

  • Parking on the pavement €100
  • Parking a short distance from either a road junction or traffic lights €100
  • Parking a short distance from either a pedestrian crossing or bus stop €150
  • Parking in a disabled bay €300
  • Parking on a double yellow line €100
  • Parking on the opposite side of the road (basically facing oncoming traffic) €100 and 1-2 penalty points

Looking around where I live, there seems to be a competition for how many parking violations people can commit in one go. And in my local supermarket, particularly at the busiest times of day, on the busiest days of the year, it seems to be a question of how many parking bays one car can occupy.

So, for the new year, and to relieve unnecessary stress, I have decided to walk more. I have downloaded a walking app, Active 10 that measures how many minutes of walking and how many minutes of brisk walking I do every day. Not a lot it seems. But I am hoping if I start using it more, I can get my shopping a bit quicker. It’s too far to walk to the airport. So I will definitely pre-book parking. In fact, I have already gone one step further, and booked an airport parking service that collects your car outside departures and cleans it while you are away (Princess). That’s it for New Year’s resolutions. There’s only so long you can stay off the wine and in the gym without starting to get grumpy and very bored. Roll on the rest of 2025!