Newsroom
Faneromeni Avenue is being redesigned to make room for cyclists and pedestrians, but drivers may need a little time, and perhaps a little patience, to get used to it.
Plans for the busy Larnaca route include fewer traffic lanes on several sections, a central dividing island, new cycle paths, 16 signal-controlled pedestrian crossings, and organized roadside parking.
The project forms part of the city’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and will be overseen by the Public Works Department. According to Larnaca Municipality, the aim is to reduce speeding, improve road safety, and make the avenue easier to use without a car.
Everything must fit within the road’s existing boundaries. That means the new cycling and pedestrian infrastructure cannot be created by simply widening the avenue, and some space currently used by vehicles will have to be reassigned.
What changes where
Between K-Cineplex and the April 1 roundabout, traffic heading towards the roundabout will be reduced to one lane. Two lanes will remain in the opposite direction.
A central island will separate traffic, while one-way cycle lanes will run on both sides of the road. Four signal-controlled pedestrian crossings will also be added.
From the April 1 roundabout to Thessaloniki Avenue, drivers will again have one lane in one direction and two in the other. This section will include a two-way cycle path on its southern side and six controlled pedestrian crossings.
Between Thessaloniki Avenue and Egypt Street, the present arrangement of one lane in each direction will remain. Roadside parking will also be retained, alongside a two-way cycle path and four new crossings.
The final section, from Egypt Street to Artemis Street, will keep one lane in each direction. Built islands will alternate with dedicated right-turn lanes, while one-way cycle paths will run alongside traffic. Two controlled pedestrian crossings are planned there.
Some right turns will disappear
The central island may improve safety, but it will also prevent drivers from turning right at several side streets.
In some cases, motorists will need to continue to the next roundabout, turn back, and approach their destination from the opposite direction.
For example, someone driving from the city towards K-Cineplex who wants to enter Kalymnos Street will have to continue to the roundabout and make a U-turn. Alternatively, the driver can use the surrounding neighborhood streets through April 1, Kaisareia and Agios Georgios Makris.
The municipality acknowledges that this will add a short detour to some journeys and alter familiar driving habits. It also recognizes concerns that reducing lanes could create delays.
The Public Works Department says the design was based on traffic counts and computer simulations. Larnaca Municipality has nevertheless raised concerns about the proposed lane widths and says it will continue passing residents’ complaints to the department.
The cycle path will eventually connect with existing and planned routes on Georgiou Christodoulides, Nikos and Despina Pattichi and Vasos Lyssarides avenues, forming part of a wider cycling network across the city.
The municipality says the goal is not simply to squeeze cars off the road but to give residents, particularly younger people, safer ways to move around without depending on someone to drive them.
Whether the new arrangement delivers smoother, safer travel or simply longer queues will only become clear once it is operating. The municipality says the scheme will be monitored and adjustments considered where problems arise and technical changes are possible.
No construction timetable was included in the announcement.
