New safety measures for Girne pavements
NEW safety measures are being implemented on pavements along busy routes in Girne to provide better protection for pedestrians, the town’s mayor Murat Şenkul announced last Saturday.
The move comes following a collision on March 23 in which a speeding motorist mounted a pavement on Bedrettin Demirel Caddesi, hitting three university students walking there.
One of the pedestrians died at the scene while another succumbed to her injuries on Monday (see below).
In a statement posted on social media last Saturday, Şenkul said in the days following the incident that “many insensitive drivers” had taken advantage of the fact that bollards preventing cars parking on the pavement had been knocked over during the collision.
“They parked their vehicles there, forcing pedestrians into the road,” he said. “Even though we fined some people, we decided to raise [the height of] the pavement and installed an iron bollard to prevent them from parking on it at all.”
Şenkul added: “Although such measures are problematic in terms of municipality work, we have to take them to protect our citizens from some of the people who live among us.”
Şenkul stated that iron bollards will also be put up along the pavement on the south side of Salih Miroğlu Caddesi after “the old Nusmar”
towards Zeytinlik village “so that it can only be used by pedestrians, as it was meant to be”.
He continued: “Starting from the schools area, we are also starting to implement elevated pedestrian crossings. . . We will also modify shop and driveway entrances and exits, parking arrangements and pavement obstructions on Mete Adanır and Bedrettin Dalan streets.
“In addition, we will re-evaluate the locations of trees, signs, electricity and telephone boxes that make the pavements unusable and take the necessary action.”
Şenkul called on all members of the public to “always keep in mind the fact that pavements are for pedestrians”.