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Residents and local officials say they’ve been sounding the alarm for years about illegal street racing on Larnakos Avenue. Their warnings went unheeded, until 20-year-old Kyriakos Antoniou lost his life there early Tuesday.
Deputy Mayor Andreas Konstantinou said the Municipality repeatedly warned police, most recently in a May 26 letter outlining the dangers and suggesting specific actions. “Unfortunately, we were not heard. And this ‘unfortunately’ has cost the life of Kyriakos, who was not at fault,” Konstantinou said. He blasted what he called the nation’s “culture of Epimetheus,” acting only after disaster strikes.
Social media posts and resident calls to police have long documented motorcycles and cars turning the road into a nighttime racetrack. Authorities have known about the issue since at least June 2024, as seen in the video below:
Despite this, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said after a Road Safety Council meeting that he had “no information” about the long-standing problem. When pressed, he said the matter must be “studied, evaluated and discussed.”
Police confirmed they received the May 26 letter and claimed they had launched “targeted campaigns.” They cited 786 traffic violations recorded on the avenue this year, more than 90% for speeding.
For residents and officials in Aglantzia, those numbers only underline their frustration: warnings were given, data was clear, and yet no lasting action was taken, until another life was lost.
With information from 24news.
