Bicycling in Istanbul
Photo by Murat Suyabatmaz.
Biking in cities doesn’t have to be hazardous to your health. But in Istanbul, you must be extra careful. Besides traffic and air pollution – the usually problems faced by urban cyclists – Istanbul riders have to deal with flooded cycle paths, barbecues, trees, bushes, and garbage bins in cycle areas, and lack of bicycle parking.
But even with these problems there’s still reason to be excited about biking in Istanbul. Recently, Gizem Altin, a Turkish cycling advocate, organized Istanbul’s first ever symposium on urban cycling. In attendance was a representative from the city government who announced that Istanbul could have 101 km of dedicated bike lanes right away without any major structural changes, if the mayor were to give his support. The city official also talked about the city’s master plan for building 670 km of bike lanes. But alas, there is no time frame for such a project, an indication that it might never be implemented.
In the meantime, cycling in Istanbul continues to be an extreme sport. After the leap, check out the photo essay on biking in Istanbul by Murat Suyabatmaz, a Turkish cycling advocate who also attended the bike symposium.
Because space is shared by pedestrians and cyclists, this little girl must constantly swerve around strolling pedestrians. It’s a recipe for disaster.
This is a very rare site, a dedicated bike lane in Istanbul. It’s differentiated from the street and sidewalk by its red color; it’s also elevated to protect cyclists from traffic. But many people don’t respect it, and some even have the gall to barbecue on it, like these men above. What’s more, on the left of the photo, the pedestrian zone has been completely invaded and occupied by cars!
Cars failing to respect the bike lane.
More of the same on the left hand side of the photo.
More of the same.
A poorly maintained cycle path is scarred with potholes and sink holes.
[...] the following links to learn more about cycling in Istanbul, it’s efforts to systematize its taxis, its new bus rapid transit system, and its history as [...]
Thanks for the post – wish I had time to meet some of these advocates when I was in Istanbul.
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/taking-a-bite-out-of-traffic-in-istanbul-turkey/
I am surprised to hear this! I would expect in Norway people would have this “bike culture” and respect for bikers. Though, I don’t know if bikes are used a lot in Norway considering the weather? (I managed to bike during all heavy snowy days in Lund,Sweden 2 years ago.)
As to barbecue, if Norway would let 100.000 workers from Turkey in(last week Turkish newspapers announced this, but then, it didn’t turn to be right fully), it might be possible to see this in Norway, too!
We are really sorry about that
Actually, most of these pictures (except perhaps the one with the barbeque) could have been taken in my home town of Oslo, Norway. Although there are bike lanes, they are rarely respected by motorists and pedestrians alike. And every winter the municipal snow plows converts the lanes into dumping grounds for snow…