Cyprus Roads - How to drive in mountainous areas

Helpful tips for drivers

Cypriot roads, mainly in the mountainous part of Cyprus, are serpentine of low and medium level of difficulty. But for a person who has never driven a vehicle in such an area, the first 2-3 trips will be difficult.

 

 

This is due to some factors:

 

 

  • the presence of many unseen turns
  • sharp elevation changes
  • long descents and ascents
  • in autumn and winter rains, fogs
  • in winter, some snow and hail
  • almost completely absent curb
  • falling stones and landslides
  • lack of artificial road lighting

 

 

 

 

  • Driving here has a number of important features that should be considered by the car enthusiast. In order to quickly get used to it and feel comfortable, as well as in order to improve safety, below we give a few tips:

 

  • When approaching a closed corner, slow down and drive a little closer to the edge of the carriageway and further away from the median strip.

 

  • On descents, especially on extensive steep slopes, in order to avoid overheating and "airing" of the brake system, it is necessary to apply the principle of cyclic (step) braking, when the driver slows down and brakes a little more than is required at a particular moment and takes his/her foot off the brake pedal, thereby allowing the brakes to ventilate and cool, after which the process is repeated again.

 

  • In winter, the weather is very changeable, it can be foggy, there can be snowfalls, the road is sometimes icy, and the height of the snowdrifts is more than a meter.

 

  • There are no winter tires on the island, so the police block the entrance to the mountainous areas in winter and force local residents to put snow chains on the wheels of cars. Therefore, before leaving for the mountains, be sure to check the precipitation forecast, and do not plan to leave after a heavy snowfall.

 

  • Another problem is the complete absence of a curb, so look for a place to stop in advance.

 

  • Some roads are not equipped with artificial lighting, so it is worth planning travel routes in such a way as to leave the mountainous areas before dark.

 

09.04.2021