Cyprus Editorial: Noise pollution? What noise?

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It would seem that the mayors of Engomi and Yermasoyia have one thing in common – their determination to fight what they call “noise pollution” and the late-night races of high-speed, suped-up cars driven by death-defying youths who obviously have nothing better to do.
The new mayor of Engomi took it upon himself to start his crusade with a protest along Griva Digheni Avenue this week aimed at raising awareness about the problem.
But will any such protest prevent young drivers from showing off their supercharged racers? Is this the way to resolve the problem that could lead to tragic accidents on one of the capital’s busiest thoroughfares?
If speeding is the problem, which admittedly is a global phenomenon in many economically developed communities, then why not encourage regular speed traps whereby the police would surely make up for the officers’ overtime pay simply by slapping hefty fines on these budding Schumachers.
On the other hand, municipalities have the responsibility of installing or removing speed bumps. So, why have these not been dotted along the road that has been dubbed the “café strip” of Nicosia or the heart of Limassol’s “tourist area”? Could it be that café owners would complain or even object to such humps and the municipalities would lose precious revenue?
In that case, why don’t all the affected municipalities and their mayors also do something about the noise and parking problems created by the café and restaurant owners along their valuable commercial roads? Is this not an issue of double standards? Local resident have to put up with the noisy racers as well as the noisy cafés that also take up their parking spaces.
If they want to clean up their municipalities, perhaps mayors ought to plan ahead with a vision for future development and not be eager to satisfy the short-term whims of local café or restaurant owners who are here today gone tomorrow.