Athens Mayor Proposes 16 Measures to Tackle Greek Capital’s Traffic

Why do we need extra bus lanes? Are the existing bus lanes even utilized enough?
Does the frequency of the current bus-fleet justify a dedicated lane?
Athens desperately needs the new metro line, and until then, if budget justifies it, modernize the current bus-fleet and add new buses.

I would focus more on putting motorcycles’ circulation under control, than on carsharing.
Someone that’s not used at driving in the Athenian madness, can’t deal with the chaos caused by the countless and out-of-control motorcycles in the city. Our driving culture resembles more of Cairo than Berlin, so it requires equivalent measures.
Eg. Marrakech uses a dedicated smaller motorcycles’ lane. Why not in Athens?

Do we want a more functional capital city? Imagine all the main roads of Athens having:
-a bike lane
-a motorcycle lane
-a bus lane
-cars’ lanes

Food for thought.

As a newcomer in this city, recently married to, and becoming a mother of, a Greek citizens, I care deeply for the quality of life of my family and fellow Athenians, but I can’t understand how little initiative has been done to make life for Kolonaki families more humane. Raising a child in this area and moving around with a stroller in Kolonaki streets is against logical reasoning. I don’t know where to start. No green areas, no benches for breastfeeding, not enough playgrounds, no trashcans, no ramps for stroller Wheels. From French Institute to Kolonaki square, for any mom who’s pushing the stroller and needs to change a diaper, the only place to do it is in the changing room of H&M in Skuta street. Main church square as All other places with benches are useless during moskito season and if feeding or breastfeeding is necessary, there is simply nowhere to go except far away to Zapio park or back home. Small shade of small trees gives no release from the sunburns… the Vegetation choice and it’s location that shortens already narrow pedestrian sides make many moms forced to push strollers on the streets.

The mayor proposal of “The strengthening of infrastructure to support alternative transport, such as the construction of more bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways” must start from Kolonaki as this obviously old-people-only area is inhumanely uninclusive.

I wish there is more elaborate presentation about the future of Kolonaki as living here will be impossible for anyone who plans to have a family.

It that was the game from the beginning and families are not welcome, if there is no intention to have at least 5 square meters of grass and shade for babies who are growing up here, then maybe it’s better to sell it all to Chinese workers and turn the whole area in their marketplace, as current profit oriented, antisustainable regulations for this area will devastate the people who need the biggest support from the system which are young families.

Place trash cans!
Is that so hard?
Or mothers have to carry dirty dipers to the bakery?

Replace sport jim studios with kindergartens!
Or hardworking bodybuilders are to lazy to worm up running a bit furder then 4 minutes to the nearest Jim?

Clean and make public playground areas functional!
Or babies don’t need to sit on a grass?

Google how other countries are doing it?
Or the call for help to design a more inclusive neighborhood to underprivileged village youth is necessary to design (and first of all understand the importance of) natural green spaces for happy childhood?