The Municipality of Heraklion stated in a Facebook post that maintenance works on the street lighting along Knossou Avenue have been completed, covering the stretch from the ΒΟΑΚ bridge to the Βενιζέλειο Νοσοκομείο. Crews replaced and serviced dozens of lighting poles with the stated goal of improving nighttime road safety and overall quality of life. Officials added that the network will continue to be monitored for potential faults, while similar works proceed on other roads in the city.
And yet… Αντουάν Γιακουμάκης commented:
“At dusk, most of the poles still do not switch on, and at night the area around the park and the church is dark.”
Between the ΒΟΑΚ bridge and the Venizeleio General Hospital (Βενιζέλειο Νοσοκομείο), light has never been the issue.
Let us begin there.
Leoforos Knossou was not a medieval alley lit by torches. It had functioning lamps. It had palms. It had visibility. One could see the asphalt. One could see the hospital. One could even see the driver in front doing something spectacularly creative with lane discipline.
And yet, we are informed that works were completed “to enhance road safety during nighttime hours.”
Interesting.
The Myth of the Dark Avenue
For years, drivers have navigated this stretch without needing night-vision goggles. What they perhaps needed was:
- A brief introduction to how roundabouts work
- A reminder that parking diagonally across two lanes is not a lifestyle
- A gentle explanation of what a lane marking signifies
The so-called “gyratory system” — a term that sounds far more complicated than “follow the arrows and yield” — has been present. The lights have been present. The palms have certainly been present.
What has been absent at times is compliance.
Maintenance crews reportedly replaced and serviced dozens of lighting poles. Fine. Maintenance is good. Maintenance is necessary. Maintenance is not the same thing as rescuing the city from darkness.
The press language suggests that nocturnal danger has now been tamed.
One wonders whether the true hazard was ever illumination.
Parking as Performance Art
If one wishes to study the geometry of improvisation, one need not visit an art gallery. One need only observe:
- Cars are parked halfway on the pavement
- Vehicles gently resting inside a roundabout
- Emergency stops are conducted for reasons known only to the driver
This is not a lighting issue. This is choreography.
The stretch toward the hospital is busy. It is functional. It carries people who are anxious, tired, late, and distracted. It also carries drivers who treat signals as suggestions and indicators as optional accessories.
Replacing bulbs will not alter that.
Monitoring the network for “unexpected damage” is admirable. Monitoring the human network behind the wheel might yield greater returns.
The Real Quality of Life Upgrade
Let us be honest. Knossou Avenue at night has never resembled a blackout zone. It has resembled a test of patience.
Visibility has existed.
What has required improvement is:
- Understanding of lane priority
- Respect for signage
- The radical concept of not inventing parking spaces
Works continue across Heraklion, we are told. Drivers are urged to pay attention to signs. That is always good advice, independent of any lighting campaign.
If anything deserves reinforcement, it is not the wattage. It is the will.
Because the palms are still there, the hospital is still visible. The road markings remain painted on the asphalt.
The night was never the villain.
The problem, as usual, sits comfortably behind the steering wheel.
