Most are driving without road tax’ in TRNC

SIX out of 10 motorists are driving without paying their road tax, an MP has claimed.
Social Democracy Party Gazi Magusa MP Huseyin Angolemli made the startling revelation during a debate in Parliament on transport spending.
The veteran politician said vehicle owners “could not be expected to pay” the tax for roads that were “full of potholes”.

He was one of several MPs to lament the “poor state” of the country’s roads network as they debated the 106-million-TL transport budget.
Others called for stricter EU-style driving tests as well as reflectors to increase the visibility of barriers on unlit sections of the Lefkosa-Guzelyurt dual carriageways, which they labelled a “death-trap”.
Transport Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu called for the High-ways Department to carry out “daily test drives” to identify problem areas and added that an integrated CCTV crime and traffic tracking system, known in Turkish as “Mobese”, would be beefed up.
He promised to “put his foot down” over poorly planned side roads junctions, labelling an exit road from the Lavinium site onto Girne-Lefkosa dual carriageway “a joke”.
Driving licensing centres in Guzelyurt, Gazi Magusa and Girne will be modernised within 90 days at a total coast of 148,000TL.
The 2016 transport budget also envisages greater traffic safety education for primary and secondary school children.
Mr Ertugruloglu promised a “zero tolerance” approach to roadside advertising: “If these signs are on the right, the left, or in the forest, they are visually polluting and blocking drivers’ views.  The will be removed.”
The minister also admitted that “New Jersey” concrete barriers designed to prevent vehicles crossing over into opposite lanes had been badly installed.
“There are views for ad against New Jersey barriers.  Our mistake was not to have installed them as separate blocks, which can be replaced when necessary,” he said.
He also promised solar-powered street lighting on urban roads and added that a clover leaf junction would replace the Gonyeli roundabout, while over and underpasses were needed at the Haspolat and Hamitkoy junctions.  A tender for an electronic lorry weighing station has also been issued, he said.  Responding, former transport minister Hasan Tacoy said: “We have almost 100 speed cameras, a number which I hope will not increase, and three ‘point-to-point’ average speed check cameras.

“We must ease traffic by sorting out the Gonyeli and Haspolat junctions and put a stop to overload lorries.”

The Traffic Commission has called for new plans on public transport, which Mr Ertugruloglu deemed to be in “total chaos”.