Fly Over – Traffic Operation for open roads: Over 12,300 calls in 35 days at the center

Business release of central road axes from illegal parking has been going on for about a month now at Thessalonikidue to the start of work on the state-of-the-art highway, Fly Over.

Read: Thessaloniki – Traffic: What we learned at the Fly Over event – Open fronts for measures

Tachiaos from Thessaloniki: At the beginning of next week the first construction site for the Fly Over

Dozens of police officers from the Traffic Directorate, who have been called to implement the “special plan for intensive traffic policing”are located every day on key roads in the city centre, trying to prevent drivers from parking illegally and confirming thousands of violations. Essentially, the start of the construction of the Fly Over and the mobilization of the Traffic, which has been asked to bear the brunt of the measures to deal with the impact on traffic, comes to put end to a regime which had prevailed for years, whereby drivers were free to park wherever they wanted.

The pink slips of the fines have been raining since the beginning of last month on the windshields of the vehicles. It is known that from October 2nd to November 5th have been ascertained, according to official data from the Traffic Directorate, 15,701 violations only in central axes of Thessaloniki.

Of these the 12,310 calls were for illegal parking of vehicles, with traffic wardens certifying on average approx 350 violations daily. Of course, she also contributed to this enhancement of the Traffic Directorate -even if it’s a Fly Over reason-, where now every day we see traffic wardens controlling and regulating traffic at key points in the city center. In order to understand even more how much the policing measures for illegally parked vehicles have been strengthened in the last month, it is enough to mention that in the first nine months of 2023, 34,149 calls were confirmed on the main streets of Thessaloniki, a number that corresponds to 126 calls per day. In other words, in the last month confirmed calls have almost tripled.

In fourteen main streets traffic controls were concentrated during this 35-day period. The policemen plowed roads every day that were divided into four axes, namely:

– National Resistance – Bas. Olga – Bas. Georgiou – Tsimiski – Polytechnic University
– K. Karamanli – Egnatia – Monastiriou (to Ag. Pantes)
– Dodecanese – Salamis
– Nikis Avenue – 30th of October – Megalou Alexandrou Avenue – G. Papandreou

To achieve the goal for all lanes open in the main streets, were also recruited cranes. There were not a few times that drivers who parked illegally saw their vehicle… “absent”. In others, the license plates were missing, putting them in a Golgotha ​​until they get them back again, since lately at the ELTA and the municipal cash registers where the calls can be paid, the wait because of the people is long.

See also – Thessaloniki: Traffic Safari in Karamanli, Egnatia, Olgas, Monastiri due to Fly Over – They will pick up cars

It is common knowledge, however, that the implementation of this plan by the Traffic Authority, which was announced to the people of Thessaloniki just a week before the start of work on the construction of the new highway, has increased the speed with which drivers pass through the central axes, as well as bus transit times, since bus lanes are no longer blocked. Of course, if the plan of the Traffic is judged as successfulthis will be proven with the start of work for the Fly Overwhich means the reduction of traffic lanes on the ring road and the entry of a large number of vehicles from the city center.

At the same time, the Traffic safari has turned into a headache for the professionals who supply the stores. One of the measures that have been taken is that loading and unloading will not take place throughout the day on the main roads. According to the first vice-president of EBETH, Manolis Vlachogiannis, there was an agreement at the meetings of the Coordinating Body that loading and unloading should take place until 7.30 in the morning at the large companies located on the central road axes. This agreement came into effect yesterday, Thursday with the approval of the Chamber and all those involved. However, it is unknown what will happen with the supply of the smaller stores in the center.