The new Park&Ride program will be re-evaluated at the end of the month and if corrective measures are needed, we will take them, President Nikos Christodoulides said Thursday. He was referring to a program, launched on Thursday, allowing passengers to park their cars at the GSP stadium, at the entrance of Nicosia and use the bus for free to reach the city center.

Speaking to the press following his visit to a high school in Nicosia, the President said that as of today, a pilot program for the transportation of students by bus to schools in Strovolos area, has started.

Replying to a press comment that the traffic issue is becoming worse with the opening of the schools, the President said that he asked the Transport Minister to brief him on the matter and added that at the end of the month they will assess the program and will take measures if needed.

President Christodoulides said that traffic issues is something that worries the government.

Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades told CNA that twenty people used the Park&Ride facilities on the first day of its launching and although the number is not encouraging, he thinks that there will be a greater public response.

He said that the bus lane aims to reduce the travel time of those who choose to board the buses, from the GSP stadium area to the center of Nicosia. He said that indications say that this travel time is around 20 to 26 minutes, depending on the traffic and the time of day.

The Minister went on to say that the bus lane brought about a 20-minute time reduction on the Alambra-Solomos Square route. He said that now there is evidence of the efficiency of this measure.

Replying to comments about public complaints for an additional congestion, he said that a lane was added and they did not choose to use an existing lane to turn it into a bus lane. Therefore, he said, this measure does not have a negative impact on traffic, but it helps to relieve congestion by removing vehicles such as taxis and buses from the queues on the highway.

Vafeades urged those who work along the GSP - Solomos Square area, namely the Parliament staff, employees at the Ministries of Finance and Labor and others in services and offices on Evagorou Street, to use this facility for a faster route.

Transport Minister said that the aim is to remove as many cars as possible from the center of Nicosia and the highway. The first goal he said is to reduce the number of cars by 400, as many as the parking spaces in the GSP, adding that the GSP area allows parking for up to 1,500 cars.

He also said that statistical data say that during peak hours there are approximately 4,000 cars and therefore a 10% reduction will be obvious.