Justice minister to unveil rapid response plan after seven-hour motorway disruption

The government is set to present a new rapid response plan for the management of major incidents on Monday, following last week’s seven-hour traffic paralysis on the Nicosia-Limassol motorway caused by an overturned lorry. Justice Minister Costas Fitiris said the plan would be presented to all relevant authorities during a meeting at the justice ministry and would apply not only to motorway incidents but to any emergency requiring a coordinated, multi-agency response. Speaking to CyBC, Fitiris said the disruption had exposed weaknesses in the state’s response to major incidents. “This incident was a wake-up call and that is why we will implement this plan across Cyprus,” he said. Related Articles • Rapid response teams planned after highway chaos The minister said the government had reviewed every stage of the response to the motorway closure and concluded that a formal coordination mechanism was needed. He acknowledged that the circumstances were unusual, with the overturned lorry blocking all four lanes of the motorway but said similar situations could arise again. Under the proposed framework, a predefined response will be activated whenever an incident is expected to take a prolonged period to clear and requires the involvement of multiple services beyond the police. The police will be responsible for securing the scene, closing affected roads where necessary and implementing diversion routes, while Civil Defence will issue public warnings, including through the CY-Alert system. Fitiris said each district would have its own rapid response team, led by a designated coordinator, who would be notified immediately after the first responders assess the situation using a standard checklist. Traffic diversions and updates would be communicated regularly through police announcements, social media and television broadcasts to keep motorists informed. He also said the government intends to establish contracts in advance with private companies that can provide specialist equipment or services when state resources are insufficient. The agreements would set out response times and hourly costs to ensure faster mobilisation during emergencies. The minister said the draft plan would be circulated to all participating agencies for comments before being finalised and implemented. The coordination meeting is scheduled to begin at 2pm at the justice ministry, with representatives from all relevant services expected to attend. Fitiris is due to brief the media on the outcome of the meeting at 3pm.