January 19, 2026
Nicosia: Roundabouts as a Route to Safer, More Liveable Neighbourhoods
The discussion about road safety in Cyprus’s residential areas can no longer be limited to isolated measures or the uncritical replication of signal-controlled junctions. It requires a comprehensive approach that considers traffic flow, driver behaviour and, above all, the protection of human life. In this context, studies in the United States and Europe indicate that roundabouts are a better option for residential areas, both for preventing fatal collisions and reducing the unnecessary delays caused by traffic lights.
Studies in the United States show that roundabouts reduce fatal road collisions by 90%, injury collisions by 75% and pedestrian collisions by 40%. Similarly, a 2014 UK study found that the rate of fatal road collisions at roundabouts was substantially lower than at signal-controlled junctions. Roundabouts also allow safer U-turns, particularly on main roads with built central reservations.
Preventing fatal collisions
A tragic example is the fatal collision at the Lidl traffic lights in Aglantzia in late July 2025, which claimed the life of 24-year-old Kyriakos Antoniou. This junction connects only three roads, one of which approaches from the east and leads towards an outlying area ending at a National Guard post.
By their nature, roundabouts require lower speeds and remove the head-on and right-angle conflict points that are among the most dangerous. Instead of sudden braking, red-light violations or accelerating to catch a green light, drivers enter a controlled, continuous flow. The result is fewer serious accidents and, above all, a markedly lower risk of fatal collisions—an essential priority in areas with homes, schools and commercial activity.
Roundabouts can also significantly reduce delays. In many Nicosia neighbourhoods, drivers wait at traffic lights even when a junction is effectively empty. Traffic is interrupted artificially, creating frustration, higher emissions and a broader sense that the urban environment is not working well. A properly designed roundabout, by contrast, allows continuous but controlled movement that responds to actual traffic levels.
Outlying neighbourhoods
Kaimakli, Pallouriotissa and Aglantzia are characteristic examples. In these neighbourhoods, more than half of the signal-controlled junctions are difficult to justify on the basis of traffic volumes. These are not high-speed arterial roads but roads of local importance, where daily traffic could be served more effectively by small or medium-sized roundabouts. Examples include the junctions linking Kantara and Agiou Andreou avenues, Agiou Ilarionos and Markou Botsari, Agiou Ilarionos–Kolokotroni–Andrea Zakou, and Kennedy–Enotitos.
In many cases, traffic lights have proved unnecessary and may create conditions for fatal collisions when careless or reckless drivers—whether in cars, on motorcycles, scooters or bicycles—run a red light.
Introducing more roundabouts in residential areas is not a cure-all and cannot be applied indiscriminately. Where traffic volumes are moderate and speeds need to be controlled, however, it is a mature, cost-effective and socially responsible option. If we want safer, more functional and more liveable neighbourhoods, we should seriously reconsider the dominant model of signal-controlled junctions and give roundabouts the role they deserve.
*Communication consultant (info@connekt.com.cy)
