Double parking adds to urban traffic congestion

In a bid to tackle the scourge of double parking, traffic police will soon be unleashed in Athens and other major urban centers with tablets to identify offenders and directly calculate the fines, which will be transmitted directly to TAXISnet. 

"Double-parked vehicles severely increase traffic congestion," said Stratos Papadimitriou, professor of transport systems at the University of Piraeus. "They can reduce the capacity of a road by up to 50%. They also reduce drivers' visibility and increase the likelihood of accidents, for cars and pedestrians, as it is usually necessary to move into the opposite lane to overtake them," he said, while also noting the hindrance to emergency vehicles and public transport. "It deals a serious blow to both the quality of services and the reliability of public transport," he said.

The mobilization of traffic police was announced a...