The debate over reopening Makariou Avenue has taken on dimensions far greater than the significance of the road itself. Listening to some of the arguments, one might think Nicosia's traffic problem was born on Makariou and that, if cars return, the problems facing both the city centre and shopkeepers will somehow be solved.
But Nicosia's problem is not a 650-metre road. The problem is that, for decades, the state has failed to create a public transport system capable of genuinely competing with the private car.
Today, anyone who wants to go into the city centre essentially has two options: either take their car or adapt to a bus system that still does not offer the frequency, coverage and reliability a modern capital needs.
We have reached 2026 and we are still discussing the basics. We even managed to install bus stops facing the wrong way.
And yet, there is already an example proving that things can be done differently.
Pame Express showed that when you give people a simple and practical solution, they will use it. You park outside the centre, get on a bus and arrive quickly, without searching for parking and without putting yet another car on the road.
One would have expected such a success to lead to the rapid expansion of the service.
Instead, we saw the usual: planning, announcements, delays, staffing problems and a service that could provide the foundation for a different transport model remaining limited in scope.
Why shouldn't there be Park and Ride facilities at all the main entrances to Nicosia?
Why shouldn't there be continuous connections to the city centre, hospitals, universities, government services and major employment areas?
Why shouldn't people know that every few minutes there will be a fast service taking them into the centre?
This is the discussion we should be having.
Instead, we have reached the point where allowing cars back onto Makariou is being presented as a solution.
But the city centre does not become attractive simply because you can stop your car outside a shop window. Those shouting the loudest need to understand that.
It becomes attractive when you can get there easily, affordably and without hassle.
And that is precisely where the paradox lies.
Instead of pressure being directed at the state to provide more buses, more frequent services and genuine alternatives, the discussion keeps returning to cars.
It is easier to change the traffic rules on one road than to admit that, for years, you failed to build the transport system the city needed.
And ordinary citizens pay the price for that failure every day.
Nicosia's traffic problem, and the financial problems facing some businesses, will not be solved by reopening a 650-metre road.
The state's real responsibility lies elsewhere: explaining why, in 2026, people still have no serious alternative to picking up their car keys.
