European Mobility Week in Nicosia

To celebrate European Mobility Week, a section of Makarios Avenue in the city centre was closed to traffic for the morning of Saturday 17th September 2011. People of all ages came to walk and cycle up and down the street that is normally filled with cars, while others simply enjoyed the atmosphere from the many cafe terraces.

The team from the Ministry of Communication and Works were on hand at their stall to speak to citizens about the SMOOTH project and the Integrated Mobility Master Plan for the city. The stall was busy for the duration of the morning with many residents coming to speak about mobility issues and to get their hands on some of the SMOOTH goodies on offer.

There was a strong political presence at the event. The Minister of Communication and Works arrived by sustainable means. He was joined by his colleague responsible for the Environment, the Mayor of Nicosia Municipality and a number of other deputies.

 
Mobility Week was celebrated in all of the large town of Cyprus, promoting alternative modes of transport – walking, cycling and public transport. On the Saturday all buses within and between the cities were free.

A highlight of the day in Nicosia came at around midday when Makarios Avenue witnessed its first flash mob dance. Accompanied by the song ‘I like to move it, move it’, groups of mainly young people and children moved into the centre of the street and began to dance to a rehearsed choreography. They were soon joined by a number of spectators, eager to learn the dance moves and enjoying the chance to convert Makarios Avenue into a sun-soaked dance floor.