Data published on Monday captured the scale of traffic congestion on the main roads of the island, with the Limassol bypass shown to be the busiest.
Citing numbers obtained from the Department of Public Works for the year 2024, daily Politis said there are on average 90,350 vehicle transits a day along the Limassol bypass – the highway cutting through the coastal city and featuring several roundabouts. The measurement is taken at Ayios Athanasios.
There are two lanes in each direction, with the speed limit set at 80km/hour. However, during peak traffic the queue of vehicles stretches for kilometres, in some places bumper to bumper, and actual speeds are far lower than the limit.
The population growth in Limassol, as well as the development boom in the area to the north of the highway, has turned the bypass into a route for getting to and fro one’s house.
Currently there are about 60 such traffic detectors across the island, while another 40 are expected to be installed on main roads and motorways in the coming months. They track not only the number of vehicles, but also the types of vehicles (saloon cars, trucks etc) as well as their speeds.
The data show that the Limassol and Nicosia urban areas are by far the most congested.
After the Limassol bypass, the second busiest road is the Nicosia-Limassol motorway with 83,000 vehicle transits daily – and three lanes in each direction. The measurements are taken near Latsia.
As for the motorways, after the two already mentioned, the next busiest is the stretch of the Nicosia-Limassol highway near Pareklisia – at 43,400 transits each day. Next is the stretch of the Nicosia-Larnaca motorway near Rizoelia, at 36,800 crossings daily.
Regarding avenues, the most congested is Limassol Avenue at the entrance to Nicosia – with 54,000 daily transits. Then comes Spyros Kyprianou Avenue (Archangelos area) reaching 53,000; then Grivas Digenis Avenue at 46,500; and in fourth place is the coastal avenue in Limassol at 45,000.
In fifth place is Makarios III Avenue in Limassol at 43,500 daily crossings, and in sixth place Strovolos Avenue in Nicosia at 42,000.