New barriers on city bus lanes
In a bid to keep car and taxi drivers out of Athens bus lanes, barriers will be erected along parts of the city’s central roads, the government said yesterday. Transport Minister Christos Verelis told a press conference that the «mobile natural barriers» will be put in place over the next three months. It is unclear what form these barriers will take. Bus lanes are currently marked by reflectors, which allow vehicles to enter the lanes where only public transport buses and trolley buses – as well as motorcycles – are allowed to drive. These replaced raised barriers that had caused a lot of accidents. Verelis also promised to install 10 video cameras to record vehicles illegally entering bus lanes. Two such cameras are currently in use. The minister said 600 new buses will be bought by the end of the year, at a cost of 150 million euros. He added that a pilot «talking bus stop» system heralding coming buses will soon be extended to all Athens stops.
