A breath of fresh air for Athens

I’m struck by the ongoing debate regarding the future of Vassilissis Olgas Avenue in the center of the Greek capital. It appears to serve as a smokescreen for narrow political objectives while overlooking the daily ordeal we Athenians face on our congested roads. Notably, the list of projects provided by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation did not include a single initiative for Athens. This is not a recent predicament; for the past 25 years, the capital has been left at the mercy of ever-increasing traffic. Each day, we encounter reports of “chaos” and “delays,” with the only remedy being the temporary placement of recovery vehicles along Kifissou Avenue.

We’ve learned that the construction of the inner ring road of Thessaloniki in northern Greece is set to commence promptly, promising to “transform the city’s image.” The Boulevard Peripherique in Paris (often referred to as the Periph) was completed half a century ago. However, concerning the peripheral road in Athens, despite discussions dating back to 1980, there’s been a noticeable absence of concrete actions. Four Greek consulting firms submitted a study on the inner ring road to the Ministry of the Environment, Urban Planning and Public Works at that time. Engineer Makis Asimakis, representing those firms, submitted an updated study in July 2023. The redirection of radial traffic to the outskirts of the city will breathe new life into the ailing city center.

For the past 25 years, the capital has been left at the mercy of ever-increasing traffic

The project no longer necessitates the exorbitant costs and social resistance associated with property expropriations, as it will utilize either tunnels or existing roadways. However, the overall cost remains substantial, estimated at 2 billion for planning and robust traffic management to accommodate buses, most of which are compelled to traverse the city center.

Given the financial burden, the project can only proceed through public-private partnerships and tolls, a model successfully employed with the Attiki Odos (a segment of the outer ring road). This strategy alleviated traffic and emerged as the country’s most successful business, albeit currently facing congestion issues. Property expropriations for extensive toll booths at each of the 15-20 entrances may not be necessary if toll collection transitions to an electronic-only system, as seen in major international cities.

Asimakis’ proposal was initially submitted in 2020 to the former leadership of the Ministry of Transportation, but it regrettably went unaddressed. I firmly believe that Christos Staikouras, the minister of infrastructure and transport, possesses the sensitivity to recognize the social imperative of this project for a city whose quality of life has deteriorated to an unbearable extent.