New road’s teething problems
Last week’s opening of the new Hymettus ring road on the eastern fringes of Athens has caused traffic jams in older adjoining roads which could be further aggravated next week, transport experts said yesterday. The new toll road provides a much-needed link between southern and eastern parts of the capital and the new airport. But, according to Public Works Ministry figures, the problem starts after motorists from the ring road enter the Alimos-to-Kareas road, where there has been a 15-percent increase in traffic. «Drivers go out of a three-lane highway onto an old, congested road with one-and-a-half lanes in each direction and traffic lights,» transport expert Yiannis Golias told Kathimerini. «But it is still early to draw conclusions. We will have a better picture from next Monday, when the schools open.» Golias said school buses and parents driving their children to school could increase traffic flows by 20 percent. Meanwhile, the ministry plans to add a lane to the Kareas road and change traffic light settings to allow greater priority for motorists on the Kareas road.
