Traffic

Istanbul is now the world?s second worst city in the in terms of stop-start traffic, according to a new study by lubricating oil firm Castrol.

Drivers in Istanbul made an average of 32,520 stop-starts in 2014, an increase of 1,320 times less in 2013, according to the study conducted by Castrol Magnatec in 78 cities from 36 countries.

BELGRADE - The current wait times at border crossings are up to 30 minutes for passenger vehicles, and drivers across Serbia are warned about winter driving conditions, the border police directorate said.

City-owned company Beograd put (Belgrade Roads) shut the road to the Ada Huja peninsula after the accident on Saturday, following an appeal from Serbia's Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic.

Bulgaria's Interior Ministry will present on Tuesday new rules for the work of police officers, aiming to combat corruption, especially among traffic police.

The new rules will minimise the direct contact between the traffic police and the motorists. One of the ideas is to film each interaction between the police and the drivers.

The Vale of Tempe section of the Athens-Thessaloniki national road in central Greece will be closed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the next three days due to maintenance work.

Between Monday and Wednesday, engineers will be carrying out work to protect drivers from rockfalls in the area. Traffic police will be diverting vehicles via alternative routes while the work is carried out.

Pedestrians in Bulgaria are nearly twice as careless compared to car drivers, statistical figures have shown.

According to Traffic Police data, almost 10,000 pedestrians have been fined for crossing the street in violation of regulations in the first nine months of the year, while less than 5,800 car drivers have been fined for violating pedestrians' right of way.

The traffic lights at 20 of the busiest Sofia intersections will be updated to allow public transport vehicles to cross faster, reports the Pressa daily.

The traffic lights at 20 intersections along the main Sofia boulevards will track the public transport vehicles through their built-in GPS modules and will become fully operational in July 2015.

Bulgaria's traffic police imposed fines on more than 13,000 drivers in the first week of August only.

Officers have issued more than 2000 speeding tickets, and some 1500 drivers were sanctioned for not using seat belts or helmets, Nova TV informs.

A total of 450 people have been caught behind the wheel under the influence. Some 600 drivers did not have a valid driving license.

"Serbia loses 4 percent of GDP through traffic accidents"

BELGRADE -- Serbia annually loses nearly four percent of its GDP due to damages caused by traffic accidents, said Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlović.

She also serves as minister of construction, transport and infrastructure.

BELGRADE - Serbia annually loses nearly 4 percent of its GDP due to damages caused by traffic accidents, said Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic who is also the minister of construction, transport and infrastructure.