Istanbul traffic: An infrastructure and psychological jam

In Istanbul, you’re almost guaranteed to run into a few things: historic architecture, views of the Bosphorus, street food vendors and traffic. Lots and lots of traffic.

With a heavy population, tight streets and a lack of bridges over the city’s waterways, challenges abound in the city’s efforts to quell some of the worst road congestion in the world.

For Melike Önyilmaz, a senior urban planner at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) finding solutions not only means updating infrastructure, but also updating minds.

“[Istanbulites] like using their cars,” Önyilmaz said. “No matter how expensive the fuel is or how much time it will take to go from A to B, they like to use their cars.

Önyilmaz and her colleagues at the IMM are working to reduce traffic congestion in and around Istanbul.

Much of their work falls under the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP), an initiative to make Istanbul’s public transportation more affordable, safer and environmentally friendly.

But to make the most of these systemic updates, Önyilmaz said the city needs to promote the benefits of public transit over personal vehicles.

“It’s about education,” Önyilmaz said. “People need to learn that driving their private cars is very bad for the environment and very bad for their children.”

One initiative the IMM plans to integrate into SUMP is similar to London’s recently implemented Congestion Charge – where cars in certain areas of the city would be subject to a fee to discourage congestion. That policy would be implemented in Istanbul’s Fatih sector.

Önyilmaz said it’s one step toward changing the public’s outlook on public transportation services.

“We have to change people’s opinions about how to travel,” Önyilmaz said. “They should be willing to walk maybe five minutes to a bus stop.”