Residents skeptical of mayor’s plans for Levent
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by Åžafak Timur
OluÅŸturulma Tarihi: Haziran 13, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - An announcement by Istanbul Mayor Kadir TopbaÅŸ about plans to transform a busy commercial artery in the city into a pedestrian-only thoroughfare does not excite residents in the area and city planners say they do not have exact details
Following the Istanbul mayor’s announcement Monday about plans to transform the main artery from central Zincirlikuyu to 4. Levent into a pedestrian-only thoroughfare, workers and passersby in the area gave the proposal mixed reviews. City planners said they had no additional information about the proposed project.Â
Thousands of cars, carrying even more people, use the Zincirlikuyu Ğ 4. Levent route each day, from commuters traveling home from work to employees of the area’s huge business centers and customers of its multi-story shopping malls. There are almost always traffic jams in the area, as the roads cannot handle the number of cars, which are mainly trying to reach other parts of the city, including Beşiktaş, Taksim and Maslak.
Mayor Kadir TopbaÅŸ, who oversees the city of 15 million, said Monday that his administration plans to move the intense traffic underground and turn the street into a "closed to traffic" area with shopping malls and green spaces where people can rest.
"We will remove the traffic from Zincirlikuyu to 4. Levent, take the road underground and make it like the Champs-?lysÂŽes [in Paris]," TopbaÅŸ said, according to daily Milliyet. The mayor said the municipality was working on the plan and would prepare a formal proposal to complete the construction in the shortest possible amount of time. Municipality officials added that the project would be clarified within a month or two.
But the Istanbul branch of the Chamber of City Planners said it was unaware of the project. "We try to accept every invitation from the municipality. But it is the first time that I have heard of this project," said Erhan Demirdizen, the head of the chamber’s Istanbul branch.
Demirdizen expressed skepticism about the project, asking, "Which problem will this project solve?"
According to Demirdizen, the city’s master plan for transportation is not yet complete and creating projects like this one could further complicate the issue. "Transportation is a system. One thing you do at one end of the city, like closing the road to traffic, affects the other end of the city," he said. "Transportation is like the veins in the human body. That is why we keep saying the transportation master plan should be finished."
Previous master plan
Demirdizen also said the former master plan on transportation was made while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan was mayor of Istanbul and that the plan did not invest in roadways, instead highlighting the urgent need for rail systems. "There has been no change in the city that would have created a need to change directions and focus on roadways," Demirdizen said.
Hasan Kibar, who works in a small fast-food store near the street in Levent, thought the idea was excellent. "It would be great," he said. "We would get rid of the traffic noise, and our work would be affected positively as well."
But Osman KemaoÄŸlu, 71, who has sold lottery tickets in the area for six years, believes the project would be a waste of money. He said the city should spend the money on wage increases instead.
Zehra Yıldız, a 25-year-old teacher, thinks the idea is irrational. "This area is not like Istiklal," she said, referring to the pedestrian-only street in Taksim. "This is full of business centers. I think this area would be empty."
Thousands of cars, carrying even more people, use the Zincirlikuyu Ğ 4. Levent route each day, from commuters traveling home from work to employees of the area’s huge business centers and customers of its multi-story shopping malls. There are almost always traffic jams in the area, as the roads cannot handle the number of cars, which are mainly trying to reach other parts of the city, including Beşiktaş, Taksim and Maslak.
Mayor Kadir TopbaÅŸ, who oversees the city of 15 million, said Monday that his administration plans to move the intense traffic underground and turn the street into a "closed to traffic" area with shopping malls and green spaces where people can rest.
"We will remove the traffic from Zincirlikuyu to 4. Levent, take the road underground and make it like the Champs-?lysÂŽes [in Paris]," TopbaÅŸ said, according to daily Milliyet. The mayor said the municipality was working on the plan and would prepare a formal proposal to complete the construction in the shortest possible amount of time. Municipality officials added that the project would be clarified within a month or two.
But the Istanbul branch of the Chamber of City Planners said it was unaware of the project. "We try to accept every invitation from the municipality. But it is the first time that I have heard of this project," said Erhan Demirdizen, the head of the chamber’s Istanbul branch.
Demirdizen expressed skepticism about the project, asking, "Which problem will this project solve?"
According to Demirdizen, the city’s master plan for transportation is not yet complete and creating projects like this one could further complicate the issue. "Transportation is a system. One thing you do at one end of the city, like closing the road to traffic, affects the other end of the city," he said. "Transportation is like the veins in the human body. That is why we keep saying the transportation master plan should be finished."
Previous master plan
Demirdizen also said the former master plan on transportation was made while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan was mayor of Istanbul and that the plan did not invest in roadways, instead highlighting the urgent need for rail systems. "There has been no change in the city that would have created a need to change directions and focus on roadways," Demirdizen said.
Hasan Kibar, who works in a small fast-food store near the street in Levent, thought the idea was excellent. "It would be great," he said. "We would get rid of the traffic noise, and our work would be affected positively as well."
But Osman KemaoÄŸlu, 71, who has sold lottery tickets in the area for six years, believes the project would be a waste of money. He said the city should spend the money on wage increases instead.
Zehra Yıldız, a 25-year-old teacher, thinks the idea is irrational. "This area is not like Istiklal," she said, referring to the pedestrian-only street in Taksim. "This is full of business centers. I think this area would be empty."