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Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-09-26
CONTENTS
[01] Experts warn of traffic gridlock in Athens
[01] Experts warn of traffic gridlock in Athens
Experts on Wednesday sounded the alarm regarding traffic conditions in
the Greek capital Athens over the next few years.
Foreign and Greek transportation experts stressed the need for
immediate measures to deal with ever increasing traffic in central
Athens, during an event held at the National Hellenic Research
Foundation. New Transport and Communications Minister Costis Hatzidakis
also participated at the event.
According to official figures, the number of vehicles in the wider
Athens region increases by 150,000 annually. If this trend continues,
95 percent of the road network in the Greek capital will be clogged up
during most hours of the day by 2010. In addition, roughly 30,000 cars
are illegally parked on the city's streets, while hundreds of abandoned
vehicles make the situation even worse.
Speaking at the event, Hatzidakis stressed that he is aware of the dire
situation ever since his term in the European Parliament, while he
stressed that all major European cities face traffic congestion
although the problem in Athens is much greater, with an estimated
increase of 130 percent in the number of private cars since 1990.
Caption: Heavy traffic on a highway heading out of Athens during a
holiday weekend, dated Monday, 20 June, 2007. ANA-MPA / P. SAITAS.
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