Traffic light countdown timers

As of July 24, 2025, traffic lights in Cyprus generally do not have countdown timers.

There has been a recent legal battle regarding the installation of such timers. In March 2025, the House of Representatives passed a law mandating the installation of countdown timers at traffic lights, especially those with cameras. The intention was to improve driver compliance and safety.

However, President Nikos Christodoulides referred the law back to Parliament, citing constitutional and technical concerns, including:

• Increased state expenditure: The law would require significant unbudgeted funds for new equipment, software, and potential relocation of infrastructure.
• Incompatibility with “smart” traffic light systems: Cyprus is in the process of installing adaptive “smart” traffic lights at many junctions that adjust to real-time traffic flow. Fixed countdown timers are argued to be incompatible with such dynamic systems and could cause confusion and safety risks.
• Violation of separation of powers: The president argued that the law encroached on the executive branch’s administrative functions.
• Breach of existing contracts: Failure to install timers within six months (as the law stipulated) would suspend red-light camera enforcement, potentially breaching contracts with the company managing the camera system.

Most recently, on July 21, 2025, the Supreme Constitutional Court of Cyprus unanimously ruled the law unconstitutional. This means that, for now, the requirement to install countdown timers at traffic lights has been struck down.

So, while there was a strong push for them, traffic lights in Cyprus are not currently equipped with countdown timers due to this recent court decision.