Limassol to launch “smart” parking for 2,500 spaces in July

In the first days of July 2026, the Municipality of Limassol will put into operation a unified “smart” parking system (smart parking), covering around 2,500 parking spaces in the city centre and on the seafront. Installation of the technological infrastructure and sensors has been underway for several weeks. The contract, worth €5,172,000 plus VAT, was signed in June 2025 with Blue Sun Automation Ltd and provides for system maintenance for 5 years with an option to extend.

System architecture and operating principles:
The digital transformation project, as Limassol Mayor Yannis Armeftis stressed, is designed to reduce unnecessary traffic volumes. The rollout includes the following elements:
— Ground sensors. Each parking space is equipped with an autonomous sensor that records the presence of a car in real time.
— Mobile application. Drivers will be able to remotely view a map of available spaces, plan a route to them and make cashless payments.
— Physical restrictions. Automatic barriers are being installed at large organised surface car parks. On-street municipal parking areas will be equipped with parking meters.
— Violation enforcement. Municipal traffic inspectors will receive access to an online map of space occupancy, allowing them to promptly identify cases of unpaid parking.

Project geography and zone reorganisation:
The infrastructure changes will affect key transport nodes in the city:
— Around 1,500 spaces are distributed along the central city streets.
— 876 spaces will be automated at municipal car parks along the Molos seafront and at other strategic points.
— Logistics changes. From July, modernisation of the entry and exit groups at the Enaerios car park will begin, after which similar work will be carried out at the car parks near the Molos.
— Preliminary stage. The phased transition to cashless payment began back in January 2026, when the parking area on Andrea Themistokleous Street was fully switched to bank card payments.

Tariff structure and regulatory measures:
The final cost of services is currently being approved by the municipal council’s governing committee. The preliminary parameters are as follows:
— The base rate will be about €1 per hour.
— The daily cap (maximum cost for 24 hours) is set at €15.
— Abuse prevention. The authorities are developing safeguards to prevent long-term continuous parking of cars in one place. Separate preferential rules will be approved for permanent residents of the central districts, however parking spaces should not turn into permanent personal parking spots.