A rally led by Councilman Mihalis Plevrakis, and supported by many other political leaders, was held at the halted construction site of the Kokkini Hani on-off ramps to the National Highway.

Work by the district on the sorely-needed ramps started almost a year ago, and would service hundreds of drivers in the rapidly-growing area.

However, several residents with homes near the ramps recently obtained a temporary court order to stop the construction.

The court action incurred the wrath of hundreds of irate locals, who turned up for the protest rally, demanding the ramps be completed.  

Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis, speaking at the rally, stressed that although the technical part of the ramps will be finished by the township, the effort to properly license the ramps and connect them to the new national road will continue through the proper authorities.

The few people opposing the ramps have appealed to the Council of State which is the Supreme Administrative Court for judicial review of administrative action, claiming that a proper environmental study was not done by the township.

According to recent studies, a lack of on/off ramps on to major highways is a contributing factor to traffic accidents leading to death, which have been on the rise again in Crete. From the beginning of 2008 more than 60 people have lost their lives.

At the time of this report, the ramps have been completed on both sides and await the legal connection to the national road by the police authorities.

Councilmen Mihalis Plevrakis (left) and
Manolis Plevrakis (2^nd right) at protest rally