When I look back at Istanbul, I don’t see it as an environmentally friendly city at all. While conscious people all over the world shout that we should reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sane administrations take these issues into account when planning cities.
But Istanbul has the features that will cause to increase greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible.
Because of the urban transformation, all sides are closed to construction, excavation, dust, and passage. It is very difficult to walk through the areas where these construction piles are located. Even if these areas are not under construction, there is a planning that makes it difficult to walk from one part of the city to another. A pleasant walk becomes a tiring activity that brings black waters to our feet when it is necessary to go around the hills and jump over unexpected piles of stones, as vehicle owners act more like road and rights holders.
There are also situations that require walking parallel to the cars due to the absence of pedestrian roads and under the stress of not being crushed. As such, walking brings stress, tension, nerves, but it is something that feels good.
You cannot understand how difficult life is for pedestrians in Istanbul until you choose to walk to a random place. I wonder how you got those climate funds? Let alone the bike path, we have no path to walk straight.
Maybe these will be done in time, but there is still a big deficiency: the Pedestrian Rights Law.
If we had pedestrian rights, most of us wouldn’t be able to get on the public transportation vehicles, which are seen as more rights-holders than the average person in a crowded, uncomfortable and traffic environment. Many of us would also get out of our individual vehicles to avoid being stuck in traffic, which is an activity of doing nothing, wasting time waiting in vain. Thus, an extremely simple but effective step would have been taken in the name of environmentalism and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The current system is settled in a way that treats cars, buses or minibuses – and other vehicles – better than the normal citizen. Roads are thought to be comfortable for driving, but comfort for pedestrians is ignored. Even the pavements, whose stones are constantly coming out of their places, are like a trap to drop the pedestrian, almost hostile to the pedestrian.
If we say let’s walk a certain distance or take a bus for a certain distance, it’s also a waste of time. Buses pass very infrequently. Even during peak hours. Sometimes, running home after sitting and calculating is more beneficial than wasting time waiting for the bus for 20 minutes. Of course, there is no such possibility. We have no way, no ongoing, no stopping ways to walk and run.
There is such a thing as a 4-car subway. I wonder why all trains are not 8 wagons in the city with a population of over 15 million in the summer season?
Let’s at least take the road that we couldn’t walk in a cool and comfortable way.
In all these conditions, you are telling everyone to get in your personal cars. Because the system treats private cars, not the driver, but the cars as VIP citizens.
They can park next to each other, check out the beach in the summer.
They don’t need to slow down at pedestrian crossings. Pedestrians give way to the car at the crossing, the pedestrian is embarrassed on behalf of the driver.
They give way in a million. They walk by without blushing or shame. In the age of social media, even if a pedestrian takes it on camera one day, we watch their license plates one by one.
All this comfort is due to the absence of pedestrian rights.
Turkey should enact the Pedestrian Rights Law. Those who do not comply with this law should be fined and the income generated from this should be used as climate finance.
This would be an easy and beneficial step for climate and environmentalism.
Note: The aforementioned “pedestrian …. It is not a demand for the repetition of neglected rights such as …”, but the enactment of a law called the Pedestrian Rights Law.