While the accidents, fires and malfunctions that have occurred on the metrobus line in Istanbul in recent days have caused concern, how the traffic congestion and disruptions in public transportation will be resolved is a matter of curiosity. The transportation data in Istanbul, which is experiencing the ‘Endless City Syndrome’, make it impossible to overcome the problems with the current population load. Even on the metro lines, where approximately 2.5 million passengers travel daily, crowds occur during the “peak hours” defined as going to work in the morning and returning home in the evening. However, the biggest problem and crowd images are reflected from the metrobus line.
THE ORDERS OF THE JOURNEY
While there are approximately 610 vehicles serving on the metrobus line, which is considered the lifeblood of transportation in Istanbul, not all vehicles can go on the trip at the same time. Under normal conditions, the trip duration on the 30-kilometer Avcılar-Zincirlikuyu line is 60 minutes, and the trip duration on the 42-kilometer Avcılar-Beylikdüzü line is an average of 95 minutes. The journey time on the Beylikdüzü-Chainlikuyu line is 65-70 minutes. During peak hours, the metrobuses are crowded and travel like a fish stack..
FINISHED IN 9 MONTHS
The increase in capacity means suffering for passengers, stress for drivers, and technical problems for vehicles. Speaking to ‘Haberglobal.com.tr’ after the latest accident and fire incident, Istanbul Commerce University Transportation Department Director Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ilıcalı said, “Metrobus has completed its life. It is inadequate both in terms of capacity and safety.”
Prof. Dr. Ilıcalı added that the metrobus line should be converted into a rubber-tired metro line, “We have a project that we presented to İETT. If the metrobus line is converted into a rubber-tired metro line, the travel capacity will be doubled and a 100 percent safe journey will be made thanks to the autonomous system. “We stated in the report that the transformation could be completed in 9 months. Thus, emissions will also decrease thanks to the electric system. Currently, more than one million passengers are carried daily on the metrobus line. The quality of public transportation has also disappeared. People are traveling in a conjoined manner,” he said.
DEMAND MUST BE DISTRIBUTED
Urban Planning Expert Erhan Demirdizen also underlined that the metrobuses operate on a very long line compared to their capacity, and said: “Work should be done on converting the metrobus line to a rail system. If this is not possible, alternatives should be considered to distribute the demand for the metrobus to different modes of transportation.”
Demirdizen, who also drew attention to the fact that the chaos experienced in Istanbul is the result of a 45-year process, stated that the city does not have the current population and said, “20 percent of Turkey’s population resides in Istanbul. This situation is defined as the ‘endless city syndrome’. There is a process that started in the late 70s and an Istanbul that is growing without a plan. Fa“As long as attraction centers are not created in different cities and regions and the population of Istanbul does not decrease, the traffic and public transportation problem will not be solved.” He used the expressions.
THERE MUST BE AN AEBS SYSTEM
Automobile-Highway Expert, Senior Engineer Alpay Lök answered our question, “Are metrobuses not safe?” with the following answer: “The short answer to this question is no”: “The Metrobus system, the construction of which started in Istanbul in 2006 and the first lines were put into service on September 17, 2007, was initially designed for 50 km/h speed, right-hand traffic, 26m long three-piece metrobuses with doors on the left. First, the 50 km/h speed limit was cancelled. In 2008, traffic on the left continued with articulated buses with doors on the right.”
“The traffic on the left side of the metrobus line is causing problems. In order to eliminate accidents in metrobuses, the speed should be reduced to 60 km/h without delay and the Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS) that prevents collisions should be installed. Vehicle maintenance should also be carried out under the supervision of authorized services.
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