Regional Council of Attica It is expected that the proposal of the mayor of Athens will be discussed today Kostas Bakoyannis on the prohibition of loading and unloading goods during the day, in order to facilitate vehicle trafficbut also limit air pollution. According with information from “K”the motion to be put to the vote reads that “in Municipality of Athens the mode of movement and supply of enterprises, supermarkets and other shops of the city is established from 21.00 to 09.00 the next day with all types of trucks. feeding time in the historical center for the time being will remain as it is. However, the commercial world reacts en masse to this measure, characterizing it as impractical.

Lights up “red” for supply trucks

Tanya Georgiopolu

The possibility of food banning shops in Athens during the day is serious in order to ease the movement of vehicles, as well as limit air pollution. The competent Deputy Governor of the Central Sector, Giorgos Dimopoulos, is expected to make an appropriate amendment to the Regional Council of Attica today.

The Athens City Council yesterday voted unanimously in favor of Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis’s proposal to ban the loading and unloading of goods during the daytime, at the same time approving the submission of a request to the region, which is also the competent authority for the delivery. According to the information, the proposal, which will be submitted today to the regional council for a vote, states that “the municipality of Athens has established opening hours for the circulation and supply of businesses, supermarkets and other shops in the city from 21:00 to 09:00.” the next day, with every type of truck. During the remaining hours, they will be refueled by vehicles with a gross weight of up to two (2) tons.

Outside the historic center

However, the opening hours of shops in the historic center will remain the same for the time being, as a new ministerial decision or presidential decree is required to change them. In this zone, loading and unloading of goods is allowed from 7 am. until 10:30 and from 14:30 to 17:30

It is assumed that the change in time will facilitate the movement of vehicles, as well as reduce environmental pollution.

Such as – told “K” Deputy Governor., the next step will be the cooperation of the municipality and the region to submit a request to the competent ministries to change the opening hours and in the historical center. “At a time when we now have more than 6.5 million tourists in Athens, many months of the year, it is impossible to go around the Parthenon with trucks all the time,” he stressed and added: “In all the capitals of Europe, shops are supplied at night to , on the one hand, there was no additional traffic load, and on the other hand, for environmental reasons.

As for the reaction of the commercial world to the proposed change, which would become mandatory if the regional council voted for it, Mr. Dimopoulos explains that an attempt was made in meetings with companies to find a middle ground solution, but that proved impossible. “Everyone had different points of view and different schedules, and there was no possibility of convergence,” he notes. For small businesses, there is the possibility of small trucks with a payload capacity of 1.5 tons during the day, while the lieutenant governor notes that this is a logistical exercise for companies and stores: “Everything can be negotiated with me,” concludes.

The supply of stores of all types from supermarkets to catering and trade of all types is allowed to be carried out at any time of the day, except for the period from 7 am to 10 am. and 10 am, which is considered peak travel time for workers. However, conditions, especially in recent years, have changed a lot, and now Athens has an increased number of tourists almost throughout the year. At the same time, the intensity of traffic on most streets of the city is increasing every day.

“We need clear solutions to the real problems that are hindering the functioning of the city. We have long pointed out the negative consequences of implementing this highly problematic schedule, which has proven to make life difficult for anyone who moves and works within Athens. From today, this must change,” the Mayor of Athens stressed last Monday evening in his proposal to the municipal council.

The regional council is expected to vote in favor of the proposal today, barring an unexpected change.

Small and large businesses disagree with the measure

Dimitra Manifava

The market characterizes the proposal of the Municipality of Athens to ban the loading and unloading of goods from 9 am to 9 pm and the ban on entry as illogical, inappropriate and untimely measure, which could lead to the exact opposite result. expected results to … criminal trucks of any type within the boundaries of the municipality during the above period. The reaction is actually massive, whether it be small and medium-sized businesses or large retail chains, department stores and supermarket chains, despite the fact that the proposal is still at the request stage to the Attica region, which will receive any solutions. However, in the coming days, Development and Investment Minister Adonis Georgiadis will meet with representatives of the commercial world (Athens Chamber of Commerce, Hellenic Confederation of Trade and Enterprise and Hellenic Retail Business Association) in order to find a common and workable solution.

“I strongly support a fixed schedule that is streamlined and easy to implement and manage. Now, whether the ban starts on the 9th or the 10th, we will see in the coming days in the discussions that we will have.” – said the Minister of Development “K”..

“If the application is accepted, then the shops that open at 9 am are not working. and close at 9pm. they would have to hire additional staff or pay overtime to existing staff who would have to come in very early in the morning or stay late to get the goods. This, combined with the fact that stores will have to operate longer and therefore consume even more electricity, means higher costs in an already very high cost period. This is a crime, and in the end, the buyer will pay for it, ”he says in a conversation with“ K ”, the head of an international chain of clothing stores. And he adds: “Most chains currently do not have central warehouses in Greece, and stores do not have large storage areas for reasons of economy. Distribution is done directly from trucks, often daily as needed.”

“The problem will be even more acute for businesses with a small staff or those with family members. They sit in the store for many hours anyway. Will they have to spend extra hours loading and unloading?” asked the representative of the Trade Association of Athens (ESA), who spoke to “K”, adding characteristically that today there is still a work schedule that would be sufficient if the municipal police carried out proper protection.

It is worth noting that, as pointed out by Mr. Sotiris Antóniou, director of the ESA, the association proposed to allow loading and unloading until 10:30. and not before 9 am, which means that the offer of the Municipality of Athens does not apply to the offers of Athenian merchants, as the Municipality of Athens claims in a statement yesterday.

“Prohibition from 9 am. this means a change in traffic even during peak hours, for example from 7:30 am to 8:00 am, when workers go to work and children go to school. This means even more congestion on the streets of Athens, ie. outside the supermarkets that exist in Pagrati, Ilisia, Kypseli, Patisia, old stores that often don’t have parking spaces,” commented a senior executive of a large supermarket chain and added: “Even if we as a chain take smaller cars, which means additional operating costs, what will happen to suppliers who bring products in with their own trucks?”

Finally, there is another aspect of interest raised by the head of a leading supermarket chain: “Let’s agree that we can load and unload our goods at night. We can make them even after 22:00. and until 7.30 where are the usual quiet hours in winter? We are awaiting clarification from the authorities.”

What’s Happening in European Capitals

The City of Light has long established rules for loading and unloading goods. In particular, small vans can enter the city center from 22:00 to 17:00, while larger ones are limited to the period from 22:00 to 7:00. However, the condition for their movement during the above hours is that they stop for more than thirty minutes.
In London, heavy vehicles (over 3.5 tons) can park indefinitely for loading and unloading on single and double yellow lines from 8:30 am. until 11:00 and until 18:30. their parking cannot exceed 40 minutes. There are points where loading and unloading is explicitly prohibited 24 hours a day, and 854 roads are now recognized as “sensitive to traffic jams” and are subject to a special regime and stricter restrictions. More generally, however, the prevailing regime in the centers of most European capitals is such that these procedures take place from late at night until early in the morning.