Purpose

In an effort to reduce traffic gridlock in the capital, technical measures to help manage traffic more effectively have been adopted and appropriate steps have been taken with a view to upgrading public transport services and therefore improving the citizens’ quality of life. One such measure is the priority given to public transport vehicles along road traffic routes by determining the location of Dedicated Bus Lanes (DBLs) reserved exclusively for public transport vehicles. In recent years and in the light of the experience gained at international level and the positive impact to this date from the operation of DBLs, the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA), in cooperation with the Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks, has developed a coherent bus lane network of about 50 km. Some of the major benefits from the DBLs operation can be summed up as follows:

  • Raising the speed of transport vehicles to 23 km/h
  • Improving overall public transport performance, thus making it more appealing to passengers
  • Increasing public transport and reducing private car use
  • Making buses more fuel-efficient
  • Improving the capital’s public transport environmental footprint

DBL demarcation

  • Solid line, 10-20cm wide (used on parts of a roadway completely dedicated for use by buses)
  • Dashed line, 10-20cm wide (used on parts of a roadway that allow mixed traffic flows to turn right, enter side-street properties, taxi ranks, etc.)
  • Road studs (cat’s eyes) in single, double or quadruple line
  • Colored anti-skid surfacing
  • Various signposts

Users of DBLs

The following vehicles are allowed to move and stop, but are prohibited from parking in the with-flow DBLs: a. public transport vehicles (buses and trolleybuses), b. b. privatized mass transit vehicles (coaches, school buses, etc.), c. motorcycles and bicycles, d. emergency vehicles (ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, etc.). It is illegal for any other vehicle (private passenger cars, taxis, vans or pick-up trucks) to move or stop in a bus lane. The use of contra-flow bus lanes is prohibited to motorcycles (with the exception of Kypseli Street). General traffic is also permitted to parts of a bus lane to make a right turn into or out of a street, enter or leave a property adjacent to the bus lane etc. and where there is appropriate horizontal (dashed yellow line) and vertical road marking.

Operating hours

With-flow DBLs are in operation from 06:00 to 21:00 Mondays to Fridays and from 06:00 to 16:00 on Saturdays. Contra-flow DBLs are operational 24 hours a day.

DBL violation

Policing of bus lanes is carried out by the Traffic Police Division of Attica. Driving in a bus lane incurs a €200 fine. In addition to this fine, violators have their number plates removed and their vehicles towed away in case of parking in DBLs. Traffic fine revenue is collected by the local authorities and not by the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA).

Current special bus lanes (in km)

ROAD AXIS LENGTH (KM) SECTION FLOW
Kifissias Avenue     1,80 Ampelokipoi – Panormou
Direction to region Feidipidou – Iatridou With-flow
Direction to downtown Panormou-Aitolias With-flow
Vasilissis Sofias Vasilissis Avenue     3,55 Akadimias – Mesogeion
Direction to region Akadimias – Pyrri With-flow
Direction to downtown Tsoha – Akadimias With-flow
Sina  – Amalias
Sina     0,20 Akadimias – Panepistimiou bus lane
 Amalias
    0,45 Syntagma Sq. – Filellinon contra-flow
Amalias Avenue
Direction to downtown     0,35 Station of Vasilissis Olgas-Othonos With-flow
Mesogeion Avenue – Feidipidou     0,55 Mihalakopoulou – Kifissias
With-flow
Direction to downtown
Mesogeion Avenue     9,55 ERT – Xenopoulou (Palaio Psychiko)
Direction to downtown With-flow
Direction to region
Ethnarchou Makariou (Peristeri)     1,27 Gounari – Kifissos Avenue
Direction to downtown Gounari to Kifissos Avenue With-flow
Direction to region Kifissos Avenue to Panagi Tsaldari Avenue With-flow
Stadiou     0,60 G. Stavrou – Voukourestiou
Direction to downtown Width-flow
Patission     5,70 Panepistimiou-Koliatsou Square
Direction to downtown Koliatsou Square – Satovriandou str. With-flow
Direction to region Panepistimiou – Stournari contra-flow
Stournari – Koliatsou Square With-flow
Kypselis     1,00 Evelpidon – Kipselis square
Direction to region contra-flow
Lenorman     2,18 Palamidiou – Kreontos
Direction to region from Palamidiou street to Tripoleos street contra-flow
from Tripoleos street to Kreontos street With-flow
Direction to downtown from Kreontos street to Palamidiou street With-flow
Gounari (Piraeus)     0,26 Eleftheriou Venizelou – Tsamadou with-flow – DBL in the middle of the road
Ethnikis Antistasis (Piraeus)     0,35 Station of Georgiou A – (Eleftheriou Venizelou) Ippodameias square DBL in the middle of the road
Pireos     0,15 Menandrou – Sokratous contra-flow
Sokratous     0,07 Agiou Konstantinou – Piraeos with-flow
Kallimasioti Coast – Posidonos Coast – Miaouli Coast (Piraeus)     2,10
Kallimasioti Coast (Two-way street) all along the road with-flow
Miaouli Coast (Two-way street) all along the road with-flow
Akadimias     0,40 Veranzerou – Ippokratous with-flow
Charilaou Trikoupi     1,10 Navarinou to Xifiou with-flow
Athinas     0,11 Omonoia square to Lykourgou contra-flow
Syggrou     1,00 Zinni – Athanasiou Diakou
Direction to downtown with-flow
 Alexandras Avenue     4,50 Kifissias Avenue – Patission
Direction to region Mavromataion – Soutsou with-flow
Direction to downtown Eslin – Mavromataion with-flow
Ippokratous     1,40 Katsoni Avenue – Solonos with-flow
Mavromataion     0,20 Vasilissis Irakleiou – Alexandras Avenue with-flow
Vas. Konstantinou     2,56 Vasilissis Olgas – Hilton hotel
Direction to Kifissia with-flow
Direction to Faliro
Xaveriou Coast     2,42 Maria Chatzikyriakou – Miaouli Coast with-flow
Direction to downtown Piraeus
Direction to Piraeus region
Dimokratias Avenue (Agioi Anargyroi)     1,50 Kyprou to Plastira
Direction to downtown with-flow
Direction to region
Eratosthenous     0,40 From Plastira Square to Vasileos Konstantinou with-flow
Direction to downtown
Papadiamantopoulou     0,70 From Papagou Avenue to Vasilissis Sofias Avenue (one-way street) with-flow
Direction to downtown
Metamorfoseos (Halandri)     0,70 From Doukissis Plakentias to Olympou contra-flow
Ethnarchou Makariou / Posidonos Avenue (Municipality of Faliro / Municipality of Moschato)     0,58 Pindou – Zervou with-flow
Direction to Piraeus
Kondyli Coast (Municipality of Piraeus) 0,55 with-flow
Direction to downtown Piraeus

Direction to Piraeus region

Thermopylon-Panagioti Vlachakou        

Panagioti Vlachakou – Thermopylon  

Ipeirou (Municipality of Athens)     0,33 Acharnon – 3rd of September with-flow
Tsamadou (Municipality of Piraeus)     0,55 Ethnikis Antistasis-Grigoriou Lampramki bus lane
Chatzikyriakou Avenue (Municipality of Piraeus)     0,73 Kleisovis-Sachtouri  contra-flow
Iroon Polytechneiou Avenue (Municipality of Piraeus)

Direction to Om. Skylitsi str.

    0,98 Sachtouri-Tsamadou  contra-flow
Defteras Merarchias (Municipality of Piraeus)

Direction to Miaouli Coast

    0,26 Iroon Polytechneiou-Miaouli Coast contra-flow
Iera Odos (Municipality of Aigaleo)     0,60 Kifissos Avenue-Thivon with-flow
Direction to Haidari, Direction to Athens from Filadelfeias str. to Chrystomou Smyrnis str., from Thivon str. to Filippoupoleos str.
TOTAL KM  51,70