At least four roadblocks along highways heading north of Athens by protesting farmers were apparently lifted or partially lifted on Tuesday evening, following negotiations between police and producers’ representatives.
The development comes as tens of thousands of city-dwellers are ready to head to the provinces for the coming Christmas holiday on Thursday and the subsequent long weekend. At the same time, other roadblocks remained across the country as farmers and stockbreeders continue to press demands for lower production costs and higher subsidies, among others.
At one point on Tuesday, the gridlock on the northbound lane of the Athens-Lamia motorway extended up to 10 kilometers, roughly from the Schimatari intersection to the Ritsota bypass.
Motoists were directed to provincial roads in order to head towards Lamia, with travel time reaching up to five hours from the normal two hours to get from Athens to the south-central city.
Similar negotiations were taking place further north in the Thessaly plain, the “epicenter” of protests and mobilizations, in order to allow more open lanes for motorists.
Conversely, the ring road around the southern port city of Patras remained closed on Tuesday afternoon, with all westbound traffic having to pass through the city center.
Roadblocks using farm machinery were lifted from the Malgara toll station southwest of the northern city of Thessaloniki earlier in the day.
