mr-bike
19 Kasım 2008, 00:50:30
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detay ... &bolum=132 (http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=158990&bolum=132)
[URBAN BEAT] Making İstanbul bicycle friendly
According to estimates Turkey has 6 million cyclists and 10 million bicycles, most of which sit idle due to a lack of both secure pathways for bicycles and integration of cycling into the public transportation system.
He wears bicycle neckties. His phone announces calls with ?Bicycle, bicycle, I want to ride my bicycle,? the opening words of Queen?s 1978 song, ?Bicycle Race.?
Murat Suyabatmaz has been devoted to cycling since childhood. Despite his father?s disapproval, Suyabatmaz found bicycle racing irresistible and trained in secret until, at the age of 14, he persuaded his father to allow him to compete in official events. Within months, Suyabatmaz finished ranked seventh in Turkey, and at age 18, he joined Turkey?s men?s team, eventually becoming captain and winning 32 national races. Following his athletic career, Suyabatmaz has been working for 16 years to make cycling safer through increased public awareness and interest. Now, at age 45, he is ?captain? of the İstanbul Cyclists? Association (BD). According to Suyabatmaz, the BD?s three goals are to: strengthen İstanbul?s biking community; make cycling a regular part of society; and push the development of infrastructure for cycling.
The economic benefits of cycling
Suyabatmaz spends considerable time and energy selling the benefits of cycling to business people, industry leaders and politicians, and the BD exhibits frequently at industry expos. Last week, for example, BD members displayed road bikes, hybrid bikes (powered both by foot and electric motor) and even a ?velo-taxi? at the Electric, Electronics and Mechanics Expo in Bakırköy. It was the perfect place to advertise cycling as an energy-efficient form of transportation.
Arguing that bicycles will have a significant positive impact on Turkey?s economy, Suyabatmaz notes that Turkey spends $3 billion each year on gasoline, all of it imported. ?It?s an unnecessary expense,? he says. ?It?s better to spend this money on bicycles and secure bike-ways.? He speaks of a friend who has cut his commute between Beşiktaş and the Grand Bazaar from 45 minutes in a car to 20 minutes on a bicycle. In addition to saving time, his friend is saving money as well. Assuming that an individual commuting by car spends YTL 1,000 each month in fuel, parking and maintenance costs, it?s easy to justify both the cost of a bicycle, YTL 900, and an annual gym membership of YTL 1,000, for a shower after the morning commute.
Integrating cycling with mass transportation
Whatever the economic benefits of biking, İstanbul?s streets are dangerous; many drivers are simply oblivious to cyclists, or they do not respect a biker?s right to use the street. A central goal for the BD, therefore, is to work with the city to develop secure pathways for bicycles and to integrate cycling into the public transportation system.Suyabatmaz notes that bikes are already allowed on some ferries and on the Metro during off-peak hours. He also says that the city has recently agreed to equip the new Metrobuses with bicycle racks, with each rack holding two bikes. The next step is to install bike-racks on all city buses.
He also notes that bicycle parking is newly available at five locations: the Günaydın Otopark in Bostancı, İşpark lots in Kabataş, Yenibosna and Merter, and İstanbul Ferry Lines (İDO) parking lots in Kartal and Kadıköy. As İstanbul prepares for 2010, the BD hopes to bring İstanbul into Eurovelo?s 66,000-kilometer-long network of protected bike paths. ?How?? asks Suyabatmaz, ?How can İstanbul be a capital of European culture without bicycle paths?? He is working with 2010 planners to develop bike paths along the Golden Horn, the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara Sea, completely surrounding the historic district.
Enticing cyclists into the streets
Some would argue that the BD?s goal to make biking a regular part of Turkish society is a utopian fantasy, but Suyabatmaz counters, ?There?s big potential in Turkey.? He considers bicycles Turkey?s ?hidden gem? and its ?untapped resource.? According to his estimates, Turkey has six million cyclists and 10 million bicycles. Alas, most of these sit idle, their chains rusting and tires deflated. ?Young people buy bicycles, but they can?t use them,? laments Suyabatmaz. If correct, Suyabatmaz?s estimates suggest that people have already chosen to make cycling a regular part of their routine, but are trapped at home by the lack of safe places to cycle. This is where BD group rides come into play, getting bikers out onto İstanbul?s streets, parks and forests where they can enjoy safety in numbers. Their presence may, over time, increase awareness and caution among drivers and spark public interest in cycling.
The BD organizes frequent group rides in and around İstanbul. Nilgül Ertekin, 55, returned to cycling when she joined the BD in August. ?I?ve discovered parts of İstanbul I didn?t know existed,? she says, referring to a ride from Kemerburgaz into the Belgrade Forest. Suyabatmaz says that the BD?s group rides are open to everyone, and he invites expatriates to join and help promote cycling in İstanbul. Referring to the BD?s 2009 program, he notes that the BD plans to mark Environment Week with a ride from Taksim across the Bosporus to Kadıköy on the first Sunday in June. Ertekin, a former judo champion and trainer, says she looks forward to the time when cyclists ?can use the Bosporus Bridge at any time.?
Ertekin also participated in the BD?s four-day memorial trek from Atatürk?s home in Şişli to the Anıtkabir in Ankara. Cross-country biking legend Fikret Kaplanoğlu, 77, also joined the trek, adding another 500 kilometers to the 145,000 he has already logged during 34 years of biking across Turkey and parts of Europe. Former biking champion Talat Tunçalp, 94, spoke to cyclists at the start of the tour. Tunçalp represented Turkey at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and again in London in 1948.
Who?s cycling in İstanbul?
Turkish-language resources include www.bisikletliler.org (http://www.bisikletliler.org) and ?Bisikletliler Derneği? on www.facebook.com (http://www.facebook.com). internet forums offer information on group rides, equipment and maintenance, maintenance, etc., for İstanbul and other Turkish cities: www.bisikletforum.com (http://www.bisikletforum.com) and www.pedalsesi.org (http://www.pedalsesi.org). For details about EuroVelo and the European Cyclists Federation?s project to develop high-quality bicycle routes in all European countries, see www.ecf.com (http://www.ecf.com).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*John Crofoot is a runner and freelance writer in İstanbul.
18 November 2008, Tuesday
JOHN CROFOOT*
[URBAN BEAT] Making İstanbul bicycle friendly
According to estimates Turkey has 6 million cyclists and 10 million bicycles, most of which sit idle due to a lack of both secure pathways for bicycles and integration of cycling into the public transportation system.
He wears bicycle neckties. His phone announces calls with ?Bicycle, bicycle, I want to ride my bicycle,? the opening words of Queen?s 1978 song, ?Bicycle Race.?
Murat Suyabatmaz has been devoted to cycling since childhood. Despite his father?s disapproval, Suyabatmaz found bicycle racing irresistible and trained in secret until, at the age of 14, he persuaded his father to allow him to compete in official events. Within months, Suyabatmaz finished ranked seventh in Turkey, and at age 18, he joined Turkey?s men?s team, eventually becoming captain and winning 32 national races. Following his athletic career, Suyabatmaz has been working for 16 years to make cycling safer through increased public awareness and interest. Now, at age 45, he is ?captain? of the İstanbul Cyclists? Association (BD). According to Suyabatmaz, the BD?s three goals are to: strengthen İstanbul?s biking community; make cycling a regular part of society; and push the development of infrastructure for cycling.
The economic benefits of cycling
Suyabatmaz spends considerable time and energy selling the benefits of cycling to business people, industry leaders and politicians, and the BD exhibits frequently at industry expos. Last week, for example, BD members displayed road bikes, hybrid bikes (powered both by foot and electric motor) and even a ?velo-taxi? at the Electric, Electronics and Mechanics Expo in Bakırköy. It was the perfect place to advertise cycling as an energy-efficient form of transportation.
Arguing that bicycles will have a significant positive impact on Turkey?s economy, Suyabatmaz notes that Turkey spends $3 billion each year on gasoline, all of it imported. ?It?s an unnecessary expense,? he says. ?It?s better to spend this money on bicycles and secure bike-ways.? He speaks of a friend who has cut his commute between Beşiktaş and the Grand Bazaar from 45 minutes in a car to 20 minutes on a bicycle. In addition to saving time, his friend is saving money as well. Assuming that an individual commuting by car spends YTL 1,000 each month in fuel, parking and maintenance costs, it?s easy to justify both the cost of a bicycle, YTL 900, and an annual gym membership of YTL 1,000, for a shower after the morning commute.
Integrating cycling with mass transportation
Whatever the economic benefits of biking, İstanbul?s streets are dangerous; many drivers are simply oblivious to cyclists, or they do not respect a biker?s right to use the street. A central goal for the BD, therefore, is to work with the city to develop secure pathways for bicycles and to integrate cycling into the public transportation system.Suyabatmaz notes that bikes are already allowed on some ferries and on the Metro during off-peak hours. He also says that the city has recently agreed to equip the new Metrobuses with bicycle racks, with each rack holding two bikes. The next step is to install bike-racks on all city buses.
He also notes that bicycle parking is newly available at five locations: the Günaydın Otopark in Bostancı, İşpark lots in Kabataş, Yenibosna and Merter, and İstanbul Ferry Lines (İDO) parking lots in Kartal and Kadıköy. As İstanbul prepares for 2010, the BD hopes to bring İstanbul into Eurovelo?s 66,000-kilometer-long network of protected bike paths. ?How?? asks Suyabatmaz, ?How can İstanbul be a capital of European culture without bicycle paths?? He is working with 2010 planners to develop bike paths along the Golden Horn, the Theodosian Walls and the Marmara Sea, completely surrounding the historic district.
Enticing cyclists into the streets
Some would argue that the BD?s goal to make biking a regular part of Turkish society is a utopian fantasy, but Suyabatmaz counters, ?There?s big potential in Turkey.? He considers bicycles Turkey?s ?hidden gem? and its ?untapped resource.? According to his estimates, Turkey has six million cyclists and 10 million bicycles. Alas, most of these sit idle, their chains rusting and tires deflated. ?Young people buy bicycles, but they can?t use them,? laments Suyabatmaz. If correct, Suyabatmaz?s estimates suggest that people have already chosen to make cycling a regular part of their routine, but are trapped at home by the lack of safe places to cycle. This is where BD group rides come into play, getting bikers out onto İstanbul?s streets, parks and forests where they can enjoy safety in numbers. Their presence may, over time, increase awareness and caution among drivers and spark public interest in cycling.
The BD organizes frequent group rides in and around İstanbul. Nilgül Ertekin, 55, returned to cycling when she joined the BD in August. ?I?ve discovered parts of İstanbul I didn?t know existed,? she says, referring to a ride from Kemerburgaz into the Belgrade Forest. Suyabatmaz says that the BD?s group rides are open to everyone, and he invites expatriates to join and help promote cycling in İstanbul. Referring to the BD?s 2009 program, he notes that the BD plans to mark Environment Week with a ride from Taksim across the Bosporus to Kadıköy on the first Sunday in June. Ertekin, a former judo champion and trainer, says she looks forward to the time when cyclists ?can use the Bosporus Bridge at any time.?
Ertekin also participated in the BD?s four-day memorial trek from Atatürk?s home in Şişli to the Anıtkabir in Ankara. Cross-country biking legend Fikret Kaplanoğlu, 77, also joined the trek, adding another 500 kilometers to the 145,000 he has already logged during 34 years of biking across Turkey and parts of Europe. Former biking champion Talat Tunçalp, 94, spoke to cyclists at the start of the tour. Tunçalp represented Turkey at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and again in London in 1948.
Who?s cycling in İstanbul?
Turkish-language resources include www.bisikletliler.org (http://www.bisikletliler.org) and ?Bisikletliler Derneği? on www.facebook.com (http://www.facebook.com). internet forums offer information on group rides, equipment and maintenance, maintenance, etc., for İstanbul and other Turkish cities: www.bisikletforum.com (http://www.bisikletforum.com) and www.pedalsesi.org (http://www.pedalsesi.org). For details about EuroVelo and the European Cyclists Federation?s project to develop high-quality bicycle routes in all European countries, see www.ecf.com (http://www.ecf.com).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*John Crofoot is a runner and freelance writer in İstanbul.
18 November 2008, Tuesday
JOHN CROFOOT*