Fears of traffic jams in northern suburbs
Some transport experts fear that the existing traffic jams will simply be transferred out to surrounding areas such as Holargos, Papagou and Aghia Paraskevi. Transport expert Giorgos Yiannis told Kathimerini that the Attiki Odos is a «good beginning,» but emphasized that unless public transport improved, any benefits would be temporary. «The completion of the Hymettus ring road is simply a good beginning, the first step in the right direction. Of course there will be an improvement because it is a road that will encourage movement around the perimeter,» Yiannis told Kathimerini. «However, I believe that the improvement will be temporary and any positive effects will soon disappear, probably within a couple of years, if there are no parallel improvements in the management of Athens’s transport system, such as restricted parking and improved means of transport,» he said, adding: «The question is what will happen on Katehaki Avenue when all those vehicles are channeled onto the Hymettus ring road. Particularly in the first few months, attention will have to be given to the access points to the Hymettus western ring road, because the local road network in Holargos, Papagou and Aghia Paraskevi, as well as Katehaki, will not be able to cope with heavier traffic. A plan is needed to channel traffic onto the local road network. Unfortunately, there is no such plan.»
