Residents and businesspeople in the municipality of Platanias are divided over plans to introduce parking restrictions on the old national road which goes right through the village. Parking restrictions had been introduced several years ago, but this summer they were implemented for the first time with traffic police patrols issuing parking tickets to illegally parked vehicles.
The measures angered many shop owners who ask for a relaxation of the parking restrictions to allow parking on one side of the road only.
“This was the first time that we started issuing parking tickets” said Mr Marakis the Platanias local council chairman, indicating that the council is willing to consider the shopkeepers suggestion for one side of the road parking. But “the majority of the business people here are quire happy with the total ban on parking in the village. Everyone realised that Platanias is much better without all the traffic problems with congestion and delays” he said .
In any case any new regulations are unlikely to take effect this year. The existing restrictions of no parking 100 meters on either side of the village square will continue to apply for the remaining of the tourist season, Mr Marakis added.
