Rhodes seaside

Image from Unsplash, Erik Kerins

Rhodes (Greece)

The Municipality of Rhodes is an island municipality of 115.490 inhabitants, located in the southeastern Aegean Sea. The island of Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands of Greece and the ninth largest island of the Mediterranean Sea. Rhodes has been famous since antiquity as the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The citadel of Rhodes is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Rhodes is the principal city on the island of Rhodes and seat of the municipality, located at the northern tip of the island. In recent decades, the city of Rhodes has grown significantly in terms of population and urban growth, owing to intense tourist development. In 2011, the city of Rhodes had 50.636 inhabitants. With regard to transport infrastructure, the main gateway by air is located 14 km to the southwest of the city. Four ports (one commercial, one cruise and two marinas) are located in Rhodes. The cruise port operates as a ‘’home port’’ for cruises that sail in the Mediterranean Sea.

Challenges:

The major tourist flows combined with the commercial activity in the port area create a challenging situation for mobility, which appears mostly seasonally. The increased traffic loads during the summer season and the limitations of the roads’ capacity have created challenges in traffic and parking management. Recently, the Municipality put in place a controlled parking system in the commercial and administrative center area. The Municipality is planning to implement an electronic parking tracking system in the near future, as well as create additional parking areas. In addition, it has started the construction of two roads that will connect the two main gateways of the island, the Commercial Port and the International Airport of Rhodes, decongesting the existing network. With regard to public transport, bus services are handled by two operators, one for the urban area of Rhodes and one that serves the rest of the island.

Sustainable urban mobility:

Moving towards sustainable mobility is of high priority for the Municipality of Rhodes. To this end, the Municipality launched a bike-sharing scheme in 2012, comprising 5 docking stations and 60 bicycles. Furthermore, it has constructed a coastal wooden pedestrian footpath that connects the tourist port with the city. In 2018, it introduced a plan for the extension of the wooden pedestrian and bike lane, whereas more bike lanes have been constructed in the suburban areas of the city, targeting a complete and undisrupted network.

Within this framework, the Municipality took action for the elaboration of its first SUMP in 2018. The creation of a low-traffic network, the upgrade of the urban environment and the promotion of alternative transport, making good use of new technologies and smart solutions, are some of the priorities for the near future.

European Mobility Projects:

 

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