Filenews 1 July 2025 - by Vasos Vassiliou
The visibility for passengers and drivers at the smart bus stops is almost zero, something unprecedented and unacceptable, as indicated in an "interim" Special Report of the Audit Service that concerns exclusively the design.
This particular patent is obviously Cypriot, since, as stated in the Report, "despite the extensive investigation conducted by the Audit Service, it has not detected anything similar internationally, where visibility in the direction of passing vehicles is limited to such an extent.
In his introduction, the Auditor General, Mr. Andreas Papaconstantinou, nails the Department of Public Works (TDE), noting that "the initially proposed plan did not have these errors, but they arose following their suggestions/interventions.
Regarding the design, the following are also recorded:
"The existing design where the bench is adjacent to the main pillar and the fact that this pillar is not transparent, creates a serious design error, resulting in the fundamental principle of visibility being served to almost zero degree."
He also observes that "even when the issue was the subject of intense public debate and was subsequently discussed in the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, the TDP was presented as absolute as to the correctness of the planning, which raises questions as to its inability to perceive such an obvious issue".
It is also recorded that in all the proposals submitted by the Technical Consultant and in the five alternative proposals submitted, the bench was placed on the right side of the stand/canopy, instead of on the left side as it is today, which also contributes to limited visibility.
The Report also states that "any mistakes did not arise from the supposedly reversed positioning of the stances but from the decisions of the Department of Public Works regarding the spatial selection of the basic components that constitute a stance, i.e. the basic pillar and the bench.
More specifically, regarding the visibility of users (bus drivers and passengers) in the Report it is stated that: "Based on international standards, the provision of the possibility of unhindered visual contact of users is one of the main parameters that should characterize a stop/accommodation. It is noteworthy that, as many examples as we have examined internationally, the side of the vehicles coming to the canopies remains open or is manufactured with transparent materials, which demonstrates the importance given to the above parameter, i.e. the visual contact of the bus driver with the passengers waiting at the stops".
In the Report there is another entry in the Department of Public Works with the following reference:
"The intransigent attitude of the TDE raises questions as to the difficulty of perceiving such a serious issue as well as questions about its receptivity to listen to and exploit other views during the planning and pilot implementation phases that preceded it."
It further states that: "In the case of stops, with a simple visit/observation it is easy to see that this basic principle of visibility is not satisfied. This is self-evident and cannot be disputed nor does it need any further scientific or technical analysis."
The Auditor General indicates that "the main pillar has been placed on the side of the entrance of the vehicles (left side), (b) The main pillar is not transparent and (c) The bench is adjacent to the main pillar, instead of being located in the center or on the right side".
It is also mentioned that based on the data submitted to the Audit Service, in the context of the audit, it appears that the proposal that initially qualified with an overall score of 96% of the main pillar was on the right side, instead of on the left side.
The Report also records that "it is also noteworthy that the Technical Consultant informed the Audit Service that he has not yet given approval of the final plans and that the existing stops have nothing to do with those he initially planned".
The Auditor General also criticizes the fact that "since the day the issue was discussed in the competent Parliamentary Committee, the pace of installation of the shelters has accelerated, possibly creating fait accompli regarding the installation of the shelters".
In addition to the above, issues seem to arise with the progress of the implementation of the Project, since it is observed that according to the planning, while more than one year has passed since the contractual date of completion of Phase 2 and the start date of Phase 3, any Phase or individual Deliverables of the Project has not yet been completed and fully received.
The project is being implemented on a nationwide basis and will cost €62 million with co-financing from European and national funds.
However, to the question that has been raised and in the public debate that preceded it as to whether the attitudes have been reversed, the answer is negative. Specifically, the Report states:
Observing the postures in full development, i.e. of the type "Shelter for Urban Areas" and "Shelter for Mountainous Areas", it is effortlessly perceived that they have been placed on the right side. However, the "Small Canopy" type, due to the unlimited visibility it provides from the right side, a consequence of the absence of a right pillar, creates the wrong impression that the stops (of this type only) have been placed upside down.
