Deputy Minister of Transport, Kostas Kyranakis, has acknowledged before the national assembly that the capital’s 12-month tourism period, a ‘conscious decision by this government,’ is a fundamental cause of the daily traffic ‘chaos’ experienced by Athenians. Kyranakis, however, appeared unable to provide a solution to this issue. In addition to the inconvenience of prolonged traffic jams, the Deputy Minister also linked the ‘tourismification’ to the housing crisis, which broadly affects residents of the Attica basin.
Athens Traffic: A European Top 10 Problem
Kyranakis explained that he and his team conducted a study of 29 major European cities. “We have 29 cities based on metropolitan population, which in Attica is recorded at 3.8 million inhabitants, the length of the road network, the area of the road network, and the ratio of residents per km² of road network,” he stated. He then presented data indicating that Attica has 23,000 km of road network and 460 km² of road network, resulting in a ratio of 8,000 residents per km². “To give you a sense of the numbers, in London, which has the biggest traffic problem in Europe, it’s 22,000 residents per km², in Barcelona also 22,000, in Paris 19,000, in Madrid 19,000, etc.,” he compared.
Kyranakis noted, “In traffic problem research lists, Athens ranks 10th in Europe. It’s not the worst, but it’s in the top ten, which is also negative. What are the aggravating factors that lead to this situation that all Athenians experience daily on the road?”
The Impact of Year-Round Tourism
The Deputy Minister continued by explaining, “The first is the conscious decision of this government to make the tourist season in our city twelve months long. To successfully attract many more tourists to Athens, with all the consequences this has on housing, traffic, everything else, and obviously the economy. It is a key pillar of the Greek economy, a key pillar of income for many Greeks and businesses. However, it also has a very significant burden on traffic. Why? Because every month, on average, from 350,000 in the less busy months to 1.2 million in the summer months, we estimate a volume of approximately 600-700,000 visitors to Athens each month aggravating traffic. This is what the Athens airport arrivals tell us. It is a very aggravating factor.”
Government’s Inability to Address Core Issues
Kyranakis clarified the government’s reluctance and inability to take initiatives to address the root causes of both traffic and housing in Attica. He then moved on to the second factor: “commercial transport,” where he expressed confidence that “we can do something.” He noted, “This was not highlighted by PASOK’s Topical Question, although we all know that trucks daily burden Kifissos, Attiki Odos, the major and minor road arteries. Imagine what will happen in Ellinikon, having a supply chain during peak hours to supply hotels, infrastructure, the new city being created. It is impossible. So, we will have to do something about the supply chain,” he concluded. He further clarified that due to the co-responsibility of other ministries, he cannot provide a solution alone. “We are in contact with the Ministry of Development. The main thing that burdens the major road arteries is the supply chain of commercial transport,” he concluded.
