Nagehan Şentürk was making a right turn out of the Jumbo car park onto Özker Özgür Street, when her vehicle was broadsided by a drunk driver (Mehmet Behai Pınardan) who failed to slow down when her car was in the middle of the road while turning. Her car struck a pole and then a tree. One passenger was killed and three others, including two young children were injured.
Kib-Tek electricity authority and Nicosia Municipality agreed that the road, busy with pedestrians, was “pitch dark”. Both authorities have pointed to each other regarding responsibility for street lighting.
Nicosia Municipality Deputy Director Ferdiye Sav, said that the municipality is not responsible for the lighting at the point where the accident happened, “All 4-lane roads are very dark. This problem is especially experienced on one-sided illuminated streets”
Meanwhile, Nicosia Traffic Branch Officer Türkay Klermo said that the street lights in the region have not been functioning for a long time, and that his department had been in constant contact with Kıb-Tek on this issue. There is a lack of good street lighting in many areas of Nicosia, he said, adding that “The responsibility for lighting belongs to Kıb-Tek. The institution should intervene”.
Responding to those comments, General Manager of Kıb-Tek Gurcan Erdogan, stated that work will be done on the problems related to lighting on the road in question, and that the responsibility of the electricity authority will be fulfilled. He went on to say that the projects and new additions related to street lighting are the responsibility of the municipalities, and noted that the maintenance of the fixtures on these is provided by Kib-Tek .“If there is a light failure, it is dealt with by Kib-Tek. Intercity roads are under the responsibility of highways. If there is no lighting in a region, the project is issued by the relevant municipalities and presented to the institution”.
Speaking on behalf of the Life in Traffic Safety Association,Atila Aypar stated that structural deficiencies and errors related to the road where the traffic accident took place were on the agenda after the death of one of the passengers involved. “All responsibility has been placed on the shoulders of some of those who experienced the incident. However, the system and those responsible for it were never questioned..
“Where is the traffic safety system that this society deserves’‘, Aypar asked, noting that his association had been trying to contribute to the establishment of the system in question for years. He also pointed out that in no country in the world, only road users are held responsible for serious traffic incidents.
