European commission report highlights transport challenges in Cyprus

A new European Commission report on transport and tourism trends reveals significant infrastructure and environmental challenges in Cyprus for 2023. Drivers in Cyprus faced an average of 40.2 hours of traffic delays during peak hours, substantially exceeding the European Union average of 28.6 hours. Despite these delays, private vehicles remain the dominant mode of transport, accounting for 83.5% of internal passenger travel compared to the 82% EU average. Conversely, bus and coach usage in Cyprus stands at 16.5%, notably higher than the EU average of 8.2%.

The report indicates that the transport sector, including international shipping and aviation, is responsible for 37.9% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Cyprus, which is higher than the 31% recorded across the EU. These figures are attributed by analysts to decades of insufficient urban and transit planning, where urban expansion has outpaced road infrastructure capacity, leaving public transport as an ineffective alternative for much of the population. Furthermore, Cypriot airports handled over 12.5 million passengers during the reporting period, reflecting the country's ongoing reliance on tourism and mobility, despite the social and environmental costs identified.