More die trying to cross busy road

Erdinç Civelek, village headman for the Balatçık District, said the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality put an underpass into service that tied Anadolu Street to Çiğli Creek and Egekent Crossing, but there were no pedestrian crossings in the area.

Civelek said there were approximately 10,000 people living in the area and residents had to cross Anadolu Street everyday. "The closest overpass is two kilometers away. The elderly and mothers with children cannot walk there," said Civelek. "But since the opening of the underpass, the traffic flow has become rather fast. Three people have died in traffic accidents two weeks ago," Civelek said.

The last incident happened on Dec. 31, when Gamze Ercan, 32, and a mother of two, was hit while trying to cross the road, and died four days later, Civelek said. The number of people who had been injured was unknown but Civelek said he received complaints everyday from people who risked crossing the road.

Applying for an urgent solution to the problem
Civelek said they had applied to the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Çiğli Municipality and Çiğli Prefecture for an urgent solution to the problem.

"The answer we receive from civil institutions is that people should not throw themselves in front of vehicles and should proceed to the nearest safe crossing point. We know there is a planned overpass to be built in the project, but we do not know when. It will happen after the local elections at the earliest." Civelek said before the overpass is built, there should be a pedestrian crossing and traffic lights installed at the location.

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality in a statement said there will be a bid for five pedestrian crossings to be built in the area next week and they were trying to solve the problem.