Greece urban traffic issues require long-term planning

Professor and transport specialist Giorgos Giannopoulos argues that chronic traffic congestion in major Greek cities, including Athens, Thessaloniki, and Piraeus, cannot be resolved through fragmented, reactionary measures. In his new book, ‘The Problems of Urban Transport, Communications and Traffic in Greece and Why They Are Not Solved’, Giannopoulos analyzes five decades of developments in urban centers.

He criticizes the current approach as being of a ‘firefighting’ nature rather than based on a cohesive, long-term system. Giannopoulos identifies a ‘decalogue of failure’ that prevents effective mobility solutions, citing factors such as the uncontrolled increase in private vehicle ownership, insufficient policing and enforcement of penalties, a lack of political will for large-scale projects, and limited investment in public transportation.

Furthermore, the author points to low research funding and a dysfunctional public works regime that increases both costs and implementation times as significant barriers to progress.