Athens mayor Kostas Bakoyannis said that a project to revamp the lower, commercial end of Syntagma Square in downtown Athens is expected to start within August and will be followed shortly by “permanent” interventions on adjacent Panepistimiou Street.
“When we talk about permanent work, we mean – to put it very, very simply – big sidewalks and lots of tall trees. This is what the city needs right now,” Bakoyannis told state broadcaster ERT on Monday.
“We’re starting with Syntagma Square in mid-August. The Syntagma study, which will be presented to the municipal council a week from today for final approval is basically the completion of the original study for Syntagma that was never implemented,” Bakoyannis explained, referring to a study that had been carried out ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics.
He added that the plan to create more room for pedestrians and bicycles at these two key locations – replacing a temporary intervention dubbed “Great Athens Walk” – in the city center is slated for completion by the end of 2021.
Athenians reacted with horror to the prospect of having revamped Syntagma and Panepistimiou Avenue again, a year after the epic fail of the Great Athens Walk, that costed almost 2 million euros on public money and was officially declared just a “pilot and temporary project that didn’t …walk.”
On social media, Greeks propose that someone give the Athens Mayor a Lego set to spend his time and have fun at a low cost.
A study carried out ahead for 2004. How many more cars are now registered in Athens? Blocking one lane on a central street in Athens, so more cars get longer stuck in traffic jams.
That for sure motivates people to enjoy a stroll along the loud, smelly cars. And second: how many Greeks even WANT to walk anywhere? Greeks are not known for interest in healthy, active living.