CyprusDriving

British bases police in Dhekelia made 14 arrests during two weeks in October for driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol (DUI).

These statistics have led to increased police patrols in ‘hot-spot’ areas within the bases. Superintendent Panicos Panayi emphasised that this reckless behaviour will simply not be tolerated by the bases police.

He also revealed that those caught were aged between 20 and 25, a troubling statistic which suggests that despite the best efforts of authorities, young drivers are ignoring road safety advice.

“This is extremely serious and also very worrying. Driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or both, simply cannot be tolerated,” he said.

“The SBA police have gone to great lengths to educate young drivers about the dangers of these actions and it would seem that the message is still not getting through to some.”

The penalty for DUIs are severe, with huge fines, driving bans and even prison sentences for some.

This is a message that Panayi was keen to hit home: “If you are caught, you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and you can expect no leniency. Driving in this state puts lives at risk and can destroy families and we cannot let that happen.”

DUIs are two of the most common reasons for deaths on the road and the other three, speeding, failure to wear a seatbelt and riding without a crash helmet, make up what police officers call the ‘Fatal 5’.

And tackling these areas of concern will always remain at the top of the police priority list according to Panayi.

“We have to continue to tackle breaches of the ‘Fatal 5’,” he said. “If people ignore these laws, then lives can be lost and it is absolutely preventable. Simply by fastening a seatbelt you can save a life, so why wouldn’t you do it?”

Source: An arrest a day: bases police issue dangerous driving warning | Cyprus Mail

 

Police are investigating another shooting of mobile traffic camera operators which occurred on Monday.

The latest case was reported by a company employee who told police that around 9:45 pm on Monday night, while the complainant was inside the company vehicle, parked on the Rizoelia – Ayia Napa highway between Pyla and Xylotymbou, a dark-coloured large displacement motorcycle with two riders approached. The complainant heard two loud bangs and saw the motorcycle speeding away. He was unable to see the riders’ faces as they wore helmets.

The employee got out to check what had happened and found damage to the rear of the vehicle whereupon he called the police.

Police went to the scene and carried out tests which revealed that the damage was caused by shots from a hunting rifle.

Police spokesperson Christos Andreou, said the scene was cordoned off immediately and experts began collecting evidence that may help determine the identity of the perpetrators.

“Police investigations are currently in the very early stages,” he said.

Andreou added that this is a very serious case and on Tuesday a meeting is expected to take place with the company to set in place measures to prevent further such incidents and protect the mobile camera employees.

Less than two week ago, two traffic camera operators were were shot at and injured in a similar incident in Kokkinotrimithia.

Asked about the previous incident, Andreou said some people had been called in for questioning, however, despite this, no new evidence had emerged until today.

Police are continuing investigations into both incidents.

Source: Another hit-and-run shooting of traffic camera employees (Update) | Cyprus Mail

Limassol traffic police on Sunday carried out a coordinated operation to tackle juvenile delinquency, noise pollution and the nuisance caused by motorcycles that have been mechanically altered.

Police announced that during the operation, from 7am to 7pm, they confiscated a total of 18 large displacement motorcycles and six cars.

Additionally, more than 60 people were booked for various traffic offences, including a young rider caught driving his motorcycle, recklessly, with no registration plates, in the opposite direction to traffic.

The young man was halted and submitted to a drug test with positive result.

Elsewhere, over the past three days, Paphos traffic police booked 140 drivers, including 47 for speeding and 24 for drunk driving.

Island-wide police efforts to reduce fatal and serious road collisions, continue on a daily basis.

Source: Traffic police seize eighteen motorcycles, six cars (Update) | Cyprus Mail

As of last month, 1,343 new electric vehicles (EV) have been registered in Cyprus, surpassing the year’s goal by 144 per cent, the transport ministry said.

The switch to electric vehicles is aimed to reach 25 per cent of new registrations by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2035, it added.

“Cyprus is making a huge effort towards the national goal of zero greenhouse emissions by 2050,” the ministry announced on Friday to mark ‘World Electric Mobility’ day.

Approximately 50 per cent of greenhouse emissions on the island are due to road vehicles, the ministry said, adding that, owing to the government’s intense promotion, as of August 2022, 1,343 new EVs have been registered or ordered, superseding the year’s goal by 144 per cent.

In the category of full electric cars and small commercial vehicles, approvals and orders exceeded the 426 available sponsorships, by drawing on savings that came from other categories of the plan, the announcement said.

In the electric moped/motorcycle category, approvals were given for all available sponsorships and 142 additional orders were confirmed, which are eligible to receive a subsidy. In addition, 175 new electric bicycles have been officially approved or ordered.

The greatest demand appeared to be for full electric cars, mopeds/motorcycles, and small commercial EVs, however, there is not yet a sufficiently developed market to make electric buses financially attractive.

As regards the plan’s provision for retiring old vehicles combined with the purchase of a full EV or hybrid vehicle, all 433 available approvals have been given and 359 have been confirmed so far, while it is expected that the confirmations may exceed the maximum number of available sponsorships and will again be covered by savings from other categories. The total budget for this sponsorship amounts to €7,611,000.

In its continuing effort to promote electrification a new wave of plans and incentives is in the works, the ministry said, including switching all government vehicles to EVs.

These plans will take into account the interest shown in each vehicle category, as well as comments and suggestions from citizens and agencies, including extension of electric bicycle sponsorship.

The ministry is also developing the necessary EV infrastructure, for which it is preparing a grant scheme for the installation of 1,000 publicly accessible recharging stations, and simplifying legislation to allow private sector recharge points.

Source: All systems go for EV transition, more than 1,300 new registrations this year | Cyprus Mail

The government said Thursday it wants to mandate airbags for professional motorcyclists, especially for food delivery drivers, after a spate of serious road accidents.

Speaking after a parliamentary committee, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos stressed that use of airbags will save lives.

He said the gear, weighing about a kilogram, will provide protection to motorcyclists who are extremely vulnerable to collisions.

In tandem with a helmet, use of an airbag would considerably reduce the risk of grievous injury.

Karousos alluded to the fatal accident involving a professional motorcyclist two days ago, and also to two serious accidents involving food delivery drivers in Paphos and Nicosia this week.

The minister said an airbag costs anywhere from €250 to €1,000. A scheme subsidising their purchase is available, and more funding would be made available over the next few years.

The gear purchase subsidy scheme has so far received some 2,700 applications.

Karousos said he hoped MPs would adopt the ministry’s views, wrapping up discussion of the relevant bill and forwarding it to the plenum for a vote as soon as possible.

The ministry meanwhile is considering another measure aiming to improve protection for motorcycle drivers – abolishing the right to drive a motorcycle of up to 124 cc on a student’s licence.

The minimum age for acquiring a student’s motorcycle license is 17.5 years.

Source: Govt wants to mandate airbags for bikers | Cyprus Mail

Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos on Saturday visited the Daytona karting track in Nicosia, where he participated in motorcycle training seminars organised by the Nicosia Motorcycle Club, under the auspices of the Cyprus Motorcycle Federation.

“I also came today from Ayia Napa on my motorcycle, carrying full protective equipment, including my personal body airbag, and as a motorcyclist, I too have to train and participate in seminars like today’s,” Karousos said.

Karousos stressed the importance of such initiatives, saying that they strengthen road safety, culture and awareness.

The seminar, called City’s A.R.T (City’s Advance Rider Technics), is a specialised motorcycle and scooter rider training programme, which, among other things, offers defensive driving training aimed at communicating risks and ways to prevent road collisions.

The minister also referred to the results of road collision statistics, where the percentage of fatal collisions involving motorcyclists is much higher than users of other vehicles.

Motorcycle drivers are statistically 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal traffic collision than a driver of another type of vehicle.

“It is particularly important that motorcycle drivers use the necessary protective equipment as it has been observed that this year seven out of nine motorcycle fatalities did not wear the necessary protective equipment,” Karousos said.

“During the past two years, a very large coordinated effort has been made by the ministry of transport to improve road safety, with a number of priority actions and bills, such as the mandatory use of body airbags in professional motorcycle drivers, which could save the life of the deceased food delivery driver, who was involved in a traffic accident in Pallouriotissa, Nicosia, yesterday morning,” he added.

At the same time, the minister said, the necessary legislative regulations and amendments are being promoted, such as changes to driver’s licences, MOT control for motorcycles, as well as incentive plans for the purchase of protective equipment.

Additional measures include the implementation of the traffic camera system, the further increase of the road safety budget, the modernisation of the department of road transport, as well as the boosting of driver training programmes, among others.

Source: Motorcyclists 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision, Karousos says | Cyprus Mail

The majority of cars in Cyprus are between 10 and 20 years old, according to Eurostat data released on Friday.

Interestingly, from December 31, 2020, a mere 4 per cent of passenger vehicles in Cyprus were less than two years old (22,812 vehicles), and 10 per cent were between two and five years old (58,211 vehicles),

Meanwhile, the numbers grew as the age of the vehicles increased, with 20 per cent of cars between five and 10 years old (117,506 vehicles), 49 per cent were between 10 and 20 years old (283,537 vehicles) and 17 per cent were older than 20 years (96,092 vehicles). In total, some 66 per cent of passenger vehicles in Cyprus were older than 10 years old.

In a matter of only 13 years from now, the EU will prohibit the sale of vehicles with combustion engines, it announced in June this year as part of its green deal and the UN’s Agenda 2030 plan. It signals a complete changeover to electric vehicles from 2035 and on.

Eurostat noted that in recent years several EU member states have launched programmes to subsidise new cars with lower emissions, putting more polluting cars out of circulation.

However, the renewal effort has been affected by the effects of Covid-19 and disruptions in supply chains.

In Cyprus, incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, including taxis and buses, and transportation means with lower emissions in combination with a car scrappage scheme were announced back in November 2021.

The first scheme, with a €4m budget, concerns the scrappage of cars older than 12 years and their replacement with new ones with lower emissions, or with electric bicycles or in exchange for bus tickets.

For the scrappage of an old car and its replacement with a new one that emits less than 50 grammes per kilometre of carbon dioxide, the subsidy is at €7,500. In total 360 subsidies were on offer.

Those wishing to scrap an old car and purchase a taxi that emits less than 50g/km CO2 the subsidy was €12,000 (33 subsidies).

For the scrappage of an old car and purchase of a new one for disabled people emitting less than 50g/km CO2 the subsidy was €10,000 (20). The same applies for purchasing a car for large families (20).

Applications for this scheme were being accepted between December 6 and 20. Priority was given based on the age of the car slated for scrappage, with older ones being given priority.

Europe-wide, the largest proportion of new passenger cars at the end of 2020 was recorded in Luxembourg (22 per cent of all passenger vehicles in the country).

They were followed by France, Austria, Ireland, Belgium and Sweden, where the percentages ranged between 16 per cent and 17 per cent.

Most passenger vehicles aged two to five were recorded in Luxembourg and Ireland (28 per cent in both countries) and Belgium (24 per cent).

Meanwhile, the largest proportion of older vehicles (more than 20 years old) was recorded in Poland (40 per cent), followed by Estonia (33 per cent) and Finland (28 per cent).

Source: Majority of cars on Cyprus’ roads are between 10 and 20 years old | Cyprus Mail

Source: More traffic cams to be installed in next six months | Cyprus Mail

The embattled traffic camera system is to finally move up a gear and exit its extended pilot phase, as now another 20 stationary cameras are to be installed within six months, the transport ministry said on Tuesday.

The 20 cameras will be placed across six intersections while another 16 mobile cameras will also be brought online.

It marks a significant development for the transport ministry which received mockery and criticism for the rollout of the programme. The pilot phase, meant to only last for three months, saw just four stationary and four mobile cameras being introduced in October 2021.

Nine months later and the ministry announced that the first phase will be completed within the next six months.

They said that the additional cameras will be gradually installed throughout next half-year. The second phase is when it really ramps up: a further 66 stationary cameras will be rolled out.

But the road so far has been rocky, with back-and-forth claims and counterclaims of who is to blame for the delays. It culminated with President Nicos Anastasiades hosting a meeting in June of senior ministers and officials, after which the transport minister issued a stern warning to the company to sort the matter out.

Early on there were warnings that the sheer volume of the number of fines was overloading the company assigned to handle and issue the paperwork. From October 2021 until June 2022, it had recorded 90,000 violations, with some drivers not receiving their fines months after the infraction occurred.

It was soon reported that there were difficulties in the identifying drivers and cross-referencing their details across various government databases and linking them to the correct address. It is understood that a person’s name may have been stored differently across various government departments, while some listed addresses were wildly inaccurate or out of date.

There has also been flood of complaints from the public who are eventually receiving their fines. One source of tension is that many are being fined for simply touching the white line at the intersections, once the light has gone red, even if the vehicle has not crossed over.

Haris Evripidou of the traffic department explained that in such cases a fine of just €25 is issued instead of the €300 had the vehicle fully crossed the line at a red light.

Some members of the public have expressed concern and have questioned why such cases are being investigated and burdening the programme when instead the focus should be on graver incidents.

He was also asked why drivers who are fined and wish to contest the claim are not able to review footage of the case, to which Evripidou replied that the current legal framework does not permit it. Currently, drivers are only provided with a photograph depicting the alleged infraction, with Evripidou stating that for it to be otherwise the law must be changed.

It was initially hoped that the pilot phase would be a period for the public to become acquainted with the system and that subsequently the volume of fines would decrease substantially.

There are fears that if more cameras are to come online then the system would be further choked and bogged down.

Source: Another 36 traffic cameras as system moves from pilot to first phase | Cyprus Mail

Police seized 19 motorcycles from their owners as part of a stepped-up campaign to prevent serious road collisions and noise pollution.

Limassol traffic police carried out traffic controls in city ​​and surrounding countryside, as well as in places known to be particularly dangerous, where fatal road collisions had occurred in the past.

During the controls, police confiscated 19 large capacity motorcycles, eight of which were located in the countryside near Agros, while a total of 64 bookings were made for various other traffic offenses.

Police also caught a 19-year-old man driving a stolen motorcycle, while he was found positive in a preliminary drug test.

Targeted traffic controls continue 24 hours a day throughout the entire Cyprus road network.

Source: Traffic police target motorcycles in stepped-up checks | Cyprus Mail