Athienou calls for Pyroi crossing to reopen after 52 years
The municipal council has urged community leaders and the UN to open the crossing, saying its closure turns a short drive to Nicosia into a trip of up to an hour.
Athienou's municipal council is pressing the leaders of the two communities and the United Nations to reach agreement on reopening the Pyroi crossing point without further delay, as reported by Cyprus Mail. The council says the route has been shut for 52 years, and that the detour stretches what should be an eight-to-ten-minute drive to Nicosia into a journey of 45 to 60 minutes.
At an extraordinary session, members voted unanimously to voice sharp disappointment that the crossing remains closed, and asked that the matter be raised again at the leaders' upcoming meetings with the UN. According to the council, Athienou has been cut off in transport terms since 1974, with residents paying the price in extra fuel, added wear on their vehicles and hours lost on the road.
The council said opening the crossing would mean residents taken by ambulance to Nicosia General Hospital "would no longer have their lives put at risk" by a journey of 45 to 60 minutes rather than eight to ten via Pyroi.
What it means for residents
For people in Athienou and nearby villages, the practical effects of a reopened crossing would be felt in daily routines, household budgets and emergency response times. Until the leaders and the UN act, nothing changes on the ground.
- Travel costs: shorter trips to Nicosia would cut fuel spending and reduce wear on cars for commuters and families.
- Emergency care: faster ambulance routes to Nicosia General Hospital would matter most in urgent cases.
- Students and congestion: young people could commute to university from home instead of renting in the capital, and traffic at Nicosia's entrances could ease.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
