Pedestrians Fight For Rights In Greece

"In Greece, the concerns and rights of pedestrians are widely disregarded."

"'Step on a sidewalk or try crossing any street here, and chances are you'll instantly feel like the prey of a safari hunt,' said Vassilis Theodorou of the Hellenic Association of Road Traffic Victim Support. 'This is the only place in Europe where the golden traffic rule - that pedestrians have the unconditional right of way - is so brazenly disrespected.'"

"In Athens alone, swarms of scooters race down crowded sidewalks. Pedestrians struggle to circumnavigate construction debris, torn-up pavement and mounds of refuse. The greatest impediment, however, is the fleet of vehicles that each day mount the city's approximately 1,200 miles of tree-lined sidewalks or other walkways to park."

"To deter violators, the authorities blocked off the sidewalks with some 50,000 steel columns in preparation for the 2004 Olympics. But since then, drivers complaining of not enough parking places have rammed, removed or ruined most of them."

"In the last year alone, the most innovative display of activism has sprung from the Streetpanthers, a band of thirtysomethings who under cover of night prowl the streets of Athens slapping the vehicles of egregious parking violators with Day-Glo orange stickers depicting a donkey in a car above the message, 'I park wherever I want.'"

"More than 250,000 stickers have been distributed nationwide since the group's Web site began operation (www.streetpanthers.gr) in July."