Kifisias Avenue

After a long car chase that started on the Attiki Odos and culminated outside Greece's Parliament, police early on Monday detained an inebriated motorist.

The upheaval began at 12.45 a.m. on Monday when the 59-year-old driver stopped his car at a set of toll gates on the Attiki Odos and refused to move.

Rain on Friday morning resulted in traffic jams on many key roads in and around Athens, as a freak weather system kept schools closed in many parts of the country and had authorities on alert for flooding and wind damage.

More than 20 firemen, aided by a water-dropping airplane and two helicopters, put out a blaze in a park in a residential part of northern Athens Friday afternoon. The fire is believed to have started in dry undergrowth in Syngrou Park near Kifissias Avenue in Maroussi. It did not threaten homes and businesses. [ANA-MPA]

Traffic on Kifissias Avenue in Maroussi, northern Athens, was brought to a standstill on Thursday afternoon after a car was engulfed in flames.

The incident occurred at the exit leading to the Attiki Odos ring road.

Police were investigating the reasons why the car caught fire.

No injuries were reported.

Torrential rain is causing chaos on the roads of Athens on Thursday. The strong showers started a little after 10 am and is affecting most areas of the capital with traffic congestion in a number of central and peripheral road networks. According to the Greek traffic police, the following roads are experiencing heavy traffic:

Motorists are advised to avoid the northern Athenian suburb of Kifissia on Sunday morning, as many key streets will be closed down for a race.

The Traffic Police on Thursday said that key stretches on Kifissias Avenue, Harilaou Trikoupi, Tatoiou, Ekalis and Ethnikis Antistaseos, among many others, would be closed off to traffic.

Athens will be under tight security control in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival at the Greek capital, Thursday. Greek police have made blocked streets and roads in the centre of Athens and surrounding routes during his stay in the Greek capital. Traffic measures have already taken effect and will last until 3pm.

According to real estate consultants there is an increased investors’ interest in converting former office buildings in Athens to hotels.

Traffic restrictions will be introduced in central Athens on Sunday for the Athens Half-Marathon, which starts at 9 a.m. and is expected to finish by 1.30 p.m.

Motorists should avoid the entire area around Syntagma Square, including Vassilissis Sofias Avenue, the start of Kifissias Avenue and the start of Vouliagmenis Avenue.

Find a large selection of used English, French and Greek books for sale at great prices. All proceeds will go to the Filothei-Psychico Society for the Protection of Strays (ZoFiPsy). The bazaar takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Blue Bell events venue (on the first roundabout when entering Psychico from the Faros intersection on Kifissias Avenue).