The people of Istanbul find it frustrating to walk on the city's sidewalks that have been taken over by shop displays and illegally parked vehicles.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute's (TurkStat) April report, the number of cars registered in Türkiye has reached 29,561,690. More than 5 million of those cars are in Istanbul traffic and rarely allow space for pedestrians to navigate the streets.
Traffic rule violations, which have become the biggest problem in the city, are endangering the lives of pedestrians.
As a result, the passages and sidewalks allocated for pedestrians are of extreme importance for both the safety of those on foot and drivers.
Drivers who violate the rules are not the only problem pedestrians are facing. The shop displays placed on the sidewalk by businesses, the vehicles parked illegally and scooters or motorcycles that suddenly appear on the pedestrian path or sidewalks are making it even harder to walk in the city.
An Anadolu Agency (AA) team asked residents of different parts of Istanbul about the negative experiences of pedestrians.
Zafer Erinç said he generally faces problems with vehicles not stopping at stop signs and non-disabled people taking up the parking places designated for disabled persons only.
Erinç said that especially public transport drivers, such as taxi and bus drivers, are not obeying the rules and mentioned: “I didn’t have an accident but saw a lot of people who had. It is not possible to walk on the sidewalk without interruption. Either a car appears in front of you or the sidewalk isn't passable."
Yüksel Sipahi emphasized that most drivers who do not follow the rule of giving pedestrians the right of way are not even stopping at crosswalks.
Sipahi stated that pavement renovation projects are putting pedestrians in a difficult situation and said: “These problems are never-ending. Vehicles, motorcycles, electric small cars are always on the crosswalks and sidewalks. Also, paving stones are ripped up and left that way for months. There is no solution. Unfortunately, it is like that in our country.”
Hamdi Şahin pointed out a street where vehicles were parked on a sidewalk: “It is a big problem that motorcycle couriers are driving on the sidewalks and cars are being parked here. It is impossible to walk on the sidewalks. The roads, either right or left, are full. The municipalities need to take action on this matter.”
Berrin Özdemir stated that the cars parked illegally are affecting mostly blind people, and it is a huge disrespect.
Cemile Inan said that she came from Germany to Istanbul for vacation and she cannot use the sidewalks with a stroller. She has been forced to walk in the road alongside cars to get around. She explained: “There are too many cars. There are too many people. People are not following the rules. Everybody is on the road. If there is a red light, they must wait.”
Also, Aysun Kargı stated that she is struggling, especially when she is pushing her children in the stroller.
“They’re parking cars. The sidewalks are a mess. For me to navigate the stroller, I need someone to help me. There is no priority for pedestrians. Even though walking is hard, walking with a stroller is much harder. I am worried about the safety of my children," the mother said, adding: "If I don't buckle my baby in, he could be knocked out of the stroller because of the uneven sidewalks."
