Severe Traffic Jams Hit Athens Roads

The news in Greek

1. πρωί  (n.)
   Η αρχή της ημέρας πριν από το μεσημέρι. ↩︎
2. τουριστικός
   Που έχει σχέση με τον τουρισμό ή τους τουρίστες. ↩︎
3. προκαλώ
   Ενεργώ έτσι ώστε να γίνει κάτι, να δημιουργηθεί κάποια κατάσταση. ↩︎
4. ουρά  (f.)
   Μακρόστενη σειρά ανθρώπων ή πραγμάτων που περιμένουν. ↩︎
5. καθυστέρηση  (f.)
   Η κατάσταση κατά την οποία κάτι διαρκεί περισσότερο από το κανονικό. ↩︎
6. υπομονετικός
   Αυτός που μπορεί να περιμένει χωρίς να εκνευρίζεται. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What caused the traffic jams in Athens on Thursday morning?

Question 2: What are the authorities asking drivers to do?

Vocabulary

Greek	English
πρωί  (n.)	morning
τουριστικός	touristic
προκαλώ	cause
ουρά  (f.)	queue
καθυστέρηση  (f.)	delay
υπομονετικός	patient

Read the full story

On Thursday morning, Athens experienced significant traffic congestion, causing frustration among commuters. A breakdown of a tourist bus on the Κηφισός, particularly in the southbound direction, led to traffic queues extending up to 17 kilometres from the Metamorfosi Bridge to the exit for Glyfada. This incident severely impacted the flow of vehicles and contributed to prolonged delays for drivers.

In addition to the disruption on Κηφισός, other key roads across the city also saw heavy traffic. The Attiki Odos highway, a major ring road that serves the region, reported delays of around 15-20 minutes in both directions. The worst-affected stretch was towards the airport, from the Phylis to Irakleio junctions. Similarly, motorists faced extended waiting times on the exit for Lamia and in the direction towards Elefsina.

Moreover, traffic flow was sluggish on other primary thoroughfares such as Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. Here, a separate traffic accident between a truck and a motorcycle near the American Embassy exacerbated the situation, leading to additional hold-ups. This accident resulted in the injury of the motorcycle driver, causing further delays in the area.

The authorities have advised drivers to exhibit patience and consider using alternative routes wherever feasible until the congestion eases. Roads in Athens, such as the Athinon-Lamias and the Mesogeion, also reported slow-moving traffic, making the overall commuting experience challenging on this particularly busy morning.

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