Limassol Municipality has received a seven-page reply from the Public Works Department (PWD) in relation to the controversial SUMP (Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan) works that have disrupted the city of Limassol over the past month, mainly due to the hundreds of bollards installed to create cycle paths.
Responding to the Municipality's 11-point letter, the PWD takes specific positions on various aspects of the project, arriving at concrete proposals for changes as agreed with the Municipality. The department's detailed references stand out regarding the information provided to the Municipality over the past three years, with specific dates for when decisions were taken. The letter is accompanied by a lengthy annex, the most significant part of which is the letter accepting the project from Limassol Municipality on 27 October 2023.
What is changing?
According to the letter, significant changes are expected mainly on Emmanouil Roidi and Theklas Lysioti streets, with the key issue being the transfer of the cycle path along a large part of the road to the other side, that is to the linear park in the area. The change came following a proposal by Limassol Municipality, after meetings and requests from residents.
In this plan, however, changes are expected to parking spaces, which will be reduced in some points and moved to the other side of the road, namely on Theklas Lysioti on the schools' side (only brief stops for the boarding and alighting of pupils) and on Emmanouil Roidi to serve residents. In the rest of the road, the cycle paths and the bollards remain in place.
As regards the bollards on neighbourhood roads, the PWD has accepted that, in a first phase, only the first and last of each kerb will remain. It notes that the separation is a legal obligation, passing the matter to the Police, as this concerns cycle paths running in the opposite direction. Specifically, it states that they can only be removed if the recommendation is adopted by the Police. In addition, another point of the letter states that the PWD is in favour of the shared space model for neighbourhood roads.
Deadline tied to the Recovery Fund
The point of the letter of greatest interest is the PWD's explicit note that the works must be completed by 21 July 2026, as they form part of the Recovery and Resilience Fund, noting that "any interventions create additional risks for its timely completion". Elsewhere, it states that bicycle traffic counters will be installed to provide measurable data around the SUMP, while the PWD commits to strengthening participatory planning and public consultations for future projects. In several parts of the letter, the PWD stresses the need for enhanced policing and supervision of the interventions in order for them to succeed. In effect, although not stated explicitly, this is a "package" of limited changes, with the prospect of larger interventions in the future, but only once the project currently under way is completed.
"War" within the Municipality over meetings, and what Armeftis says
At the same time, within Limassol Municipality the strong disagreement between the Mayor and a section of opposition municipal councillors continues, with the latter saying in recent days that the Mayor is not informing the Municipal Council of meetings he held with the PWD. They refer specifically to 21 meetings between the Mayor and the Public Works Department.
Commenting on the above claim, Mayor Yiannis Armeftis told "P" that his meetings with the PWD do not concern only the SUMP project but more generally all projects relating to the city. "Meetings have taken place with the Minister himself as well as with officials of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works. The meetings concerned various projects and infrastructure, mainly for resolving traffic issues, and we have promoted short-term and long-term interventions." Specifically regarding SUMP works, he explained that the meetings held, including with officials, were for improvements to the design already approved in previous years. He clarified that after each meeting he informs the Municipal Council of developments. As regards exclusively the works relating to traffic and the SUMP, he referred to at least 19 itemsdiscussed in the Municipal Council's Traffic Affairs Committee, providing us with a relevant list of the minutes from that Committee, as approved by the Municipal Council, most of the time unanimously.
