Filenews 30 January 2021 - by Michalis Hatzivasilis
Rafaella and Marina didn't know each other until recently. But they have one thing in common - their passion for the consolidation of road consciousness. One of her wheelchair and the other of her bike, they want to raise people's awareness on the one hand not to prevent those with mobility problems and on the other hand to use their car less and more bus or bike.
Rafaella Miltiadous and Marina Kyriakou were named the day before yesterday by the Road Safety Council as road safety ambassadors for 2021. Great responsibility, however, they both have the passion and the appetite to do a lot and put their little stone to change even a little.
When 28-year-old Rafaella returned from Israel in early 2020 in a wheelchair after a serious car accident in Cyprus, she did not expect to find a mountain of problems. She immediately noticed that she couldn't move on the sidewalks. One day, while trying near a clinic to move on the sidewalk, she had in front of her three trash cans and several bollards so that drivers wouldn't park, when it was impossible to get through. "It was," she says, "an unpleasant surprise to me" and it wasn't the only unpleasant fact that she found. "I was very shocked. That's what made me take a picture and I sent it to the justice minister's road safety adviser, Jason Senekis." After that she continued her work and was finally selected this year as road safety ambassador.
Rafaella was in a wheelchair from one moment to the next when in August 2019 she had a car accident on a road in mountainous Limassol. She was sitting in the back seat with a seatbelt on, when the accident happened, and the belt saved her life. She was then taken to a hospital in Israel where she remained for almost six months. She returned to Cyprus 28/1/2020 with paraplegia where she ended up in a wheelchair. She works in an office and, as she says with humour, goes with her chair every day.
For her choice as road safety ambassador, she feels pride and responsibility, because as she says, it's time to change things and take action. Naturally optimistic, she believes that our country must be made safer on the streets for us and our children. "I want freedom and equal access for everyone," she stresses, adding that only those who sit in a wheelchair or their relatives/helpers understand what it means not to be able to move wherever you want. As she pointed out at the Road Safety Council, the institution of ambassadors is multifaceted and brings together the consolidation of a culture of road consciousness by establishing rules on driving, such as putting on your seat belt, not speeding, putting your children in a seat.
Also, she notes, the message must be that drivers should not park in blue zones. "Think of the other one before you take his place", while asking: Do I have to make you sit in the wheelchair to understand the obvious? Why would you make it harder for me and so many others to make it easier for you? Being in a wheelchair is not something I chose, it happened while I was on holiday."
Actions aimed at raising awareness of all
The ideal for Rafaella will be for municipalities to take action evenly to clear the sidewalks so that they are accessible. "Here even trees are often an obstacle, since they are not pruned and eventually my hands instead of using them to move the wheelchair I use them to open the road. Why do I have to go out and take someone with me to help me?" she asks.
Regarding the actions to be taken in '21 include meetings in schools, lectures, spots, etc. She says that if she finds herself in a classroom with children the first thing she will tell them is to wear their seat belt. "It saved my life, so it's essential that they wear theirs" she says.
For her part, Marina will now have the opportunity to raise awareness from the institution of the road safety ambassador much more people, which Rafaella agrees with, since their intention is to approach road safety in a positive way, so that through the stories of each one, they can positively influence so that on the road each of our fellow citizens thinks more seriously about his actions.
Among the actions they plan are visits to schools, provided that the situation with the crown virus will allow it. As Marina says, she will try to convince the children that the car is just one of the options we have for moving. We can choose it, but we will also highlight the risks we have. But we can choose other means, such as the bike, if it is a short distance to do it on foot or there is also the bus. Finally, it stresses the need to promote sustainable mobility so as not to burden the environment and for short distances to avoid the car.
A different... Mayor
Marina was pretty much known to the Ministry of Transport because from 2019 it joined the network "Bicycle Mayors" and its purpose was to promote cycling as a means of transport in Nicosia. This network, which is international, defines "mayors" who undertake to promote cycling in their own city. "I ride a bike through the city and I wanted to put Cyprus on the map of cities that have alternative modes of transport," she stresses.
As she says, she has lived abroad and was travelling by bike or bus and so she carried this way of life to Cyprus as well. She didn't want to buy a car or move around with it, so she turned to cycling as a way of life. "So when I got the title of "bicycle mayor", I contacted the Ministry of Transport to ask them for their support, since it is also the ministry's goal to promote alternative modes of transport. That's how they taught me about it, that's why I was selected as a road safety ambassador."
Marina is 30 years old, holds a driver's license but doesn't have a vehicle. 'It's purely my choice, I know how to drive if I have to but I don't want to buy my own vehicle because I have a lot of reasons not to. A car is definitely a convenience but there are problems for the environment and for safety so I turned to the bike." Another reason that made her turn to the bike was a small accident she had with the car when she was still inexperienced at the wheel. With cycling today she does not feel safer, but she is prepared to take this risk without of course moving on major highways or motorways where safety measures are limited and she does not want to put herself at risk.
Marina asks people to be aware and aware when they see a cyclist, as they are more vulnerable, and to keep their distance and to give priority. The previous day's distinction stresses that it came naturally, since other efforts preceded it and always wanted to recognize the importance of cycling in traffic in cities. She thinks that safety on the streets is everyone's business and it was not a surprise to choose her but something that pleased her.
