Traffic lights finally start operating on the “road of death” in Aradippou

Traffic light control has officially been launched on the accident-prone Ellados Avenue in Aradippou (a suburb of Larnaca). The municipality called this project one of the most important infrastructure solutions in recent years in the field of road safety. Work began after a series of tragic accidents and widespread public outcry in the Cypriot media.

Reasons for the high accident rate:
Ellados Avenue, which runs through the industrial zone, is a wide straight thoroughfare with a speed limit of 65 km/h. Because of this layout, drivers regularly exceeded the speed limit, perceiving the road as a high-speed route. The situation was worsened by unregulated intersections, heavy vehicle traffic and frequent illegal street races.

Public attention to the problem intensified in December 2024, when during a live broadcast by Alpha Kalimera on road safety, another collision nearly appeared on camera. The situation remained critical even while the project was being prepared: on 22 March 2026, 52-year-old Nikos Nicolaou died in a head-on collision with a van on the avenue.

Modernisation stages and current status:
The decision to install traffic lights at three key intersections was made by the mayor of Aradippou, Christodoulos Partas, in January 2025. Design work and tender procedures took about a year and a half.

At present, the situation is as follows:
— Operational sections. The traffic lights have already started operating at the intersection of Ellados Avenue with Ivikou, Sergiou and Vakchou streets.
— Near-term plans. After the final technical tests are completed, traffic control will also be activated at two more intersections — with Georgiou Theotokou and Iakovou Patatsou streets. Once they are fully operational, the main dangerous gaps on the road will be closed.
— Outlook. As a long-term safety measure, construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Ellados Avenue and Eleftherias Street is planned.