With the opening of schools in Istanbul, a period of suffering in both traffic and public transportation began. While there is a stampede in the metrobuses, which are the most important transfer systems of the megacity, during the hours of going to work in the morning and returning home in the evening, citizens are also fed up. While more than one million passengers are carried daily on the Metrobus line, the system is far from comfortable due to the increasing number of passengers. To this table; When the accidents, fires and malfunctions that have occurred on the metrobus line in recent days are added, an inextricable situation is created for Istanbul. Experts have been persistently saying that alternative systems need to be developed since the beginning of September.
CAN’T BREATHE!
We go on a short metrobus trip to see the disruptions firsthand. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is great suffering on the metrobus line, which is 52 kilometers long and has 44 stations, especially in the morning and evening hours. Our journey, which starts from the first stop Söğütlüçeşme at 08.00 in the morning to the last stop Beylikdüzü, turns into an ordeal. While we noticed serious congestion at the first and last stops, the two most difficult stops to get on and off were Zincirlikuyu and Cevizlibağ. The picture does not change in the evening hours. There are moments when we have difficulty even breathing while in the vehicle.
THE ORDER ON THE BZ LINE
While getting on the metrobus, pushing, shoving and seat-grabbing races catch our eye the most on BZ lines. We have to walk from Zincirlikuyu to Küçükçekmece standing in a pile of fish during the hours of going to work in the morning and returning home in the evening. While we noticed that there was no shortage of traffic at the Mecidiyeköy, Şirinevler and Uzunçayır stops, We witness that the vehicle density decreases slightly between 10.30 and 15.30.
DISRUPTIONS ARE INEVITABLE
After our field observations, we asked what should be done by Istanbul Commerce University faculty member and Transportation Expert Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ilıcalı stated that they made great efforts in bringing the metrobus to the country and said, “In 2007, the system was thought to have a capacity of 400 thousand passengers. Today, one million passengers are transported a day and comfort criteria have completely disappeared. This situation naturally causes technical glitches. As vehicles wear out quickly, malfunctions occur. There are even vehicles that have done 2 million kilometers. These vehicles are officially The road goes with the help of the driver. We say it insistently. “The Metrobus line needs to be converted into a rubber-tired metro and an autonomous system should be switched to without wasting time,” he said.
IT SHOULD NOT BE PERMANENT
Prof. from ITU Civil Engineering Department. Dr. Halit Özen is also among those who think that the metrobus does not carry its current load. Özen’s suggestions are as follows: “The system is currently providing service above its capacity. We should definitely switch to a solution with rubber wheels. For this purpose, station lengths should be extended and the frequency between vehicles should be reduced. Metrobus was a temporary solution, but it became permanent over time. “The system seemed important in terms of relieving traffic in the first periods, but new solutions must be produced.”
(email protected)
