Making cycling safer for a Turkish tourist destination

Located on the Black Sea, close to both Istanbul and Ankara, the Turkish city of Karasu is a popular local and international summer holiday destination. Karasu is best-known for its beautiful landscapes and its large beach – the second-longest in Turkey, spreading over 20 kilometres with two sections bearing the ‘Blue Flag’ certification for high environmental standards. 

With a population of around 70,000 in winter, it swells to almost 1,000,000 people in the summer months, which transforms Karasu. “When I think about this region hosting so many people…I think about the chaos due to the increased motorised traffic. It is essential to plan for more sustainable modes of transportation,” says Abdulkadir Özden, Assistant Professor at the Sakarya University of Applied Sciences. 

Aiming to create more spaces in Karasu for walkers, cyclists and scooter riders, the municipality teamed up with the Sakarya University of Applied Sciences on a green mobility project. This was one of four projects selected for the Sustainable Cities Climate Impact Challenge, organised by EIT Climate-KIC and EIT Digital, and sponsored by FedEx.   

The project’s main goal is to increase regional micromobility corridors and develop non-motorised environments, particularly in areas such as schools, parks and near sports fields. While a coastal bike path was built a few years ago – and quickly became popular with locals and tourists – it is disconnected from the central parts of Karasu.  

“There is a unique biking culture in the Sakarya region – studies have shown that people of all ages are more likely to use their bikes to run daily errands, compared to other parts of Turkey. However, there is a lack of connection between the coastal bike lanes and the city centre,” says Özden. 

Progress has been made to improve connections, with two separate 1-kilometre routes becoming dedicated bike lanes that link the city centre with the coast. Infrastructure improvements to existing bike lanes, helping improve visibility and safety, have also been undertaken.  

Additionally, the municipality is also installing bicycle parking racks, repair stations and cycle resting points to further improve the cycling experience and make biking in Karasu safer.  

To encourage more children to take up cycling, the project also launched the ‘Şimdi Bisiklet Zamani’ event –  i.e. ‘Now It’s Time to Bike’ – on 21 September, which saw kids and adults come together to learn from a trainer about bike maintenance and safe cycling practices. Helmets, lightning equipment, locks and other cycling gear were distributed among participants to enhance riding safety. 

With more future sustainable mobility projects on the horizon, Özden feels positive about the rise of cycling in the region: “We want to create change from the beginning – from the younger generations. Let them have safer paths so that when they become teenagers, they walk and cycle more. We want to show people that if you support local decision makers, then they are more willing to improve active transportation and sustainable transportation for the District of Sakarya.” 

The second edition of the Challenge is now accepting applications to fund small-scale projects that accelerate the transition towards cleaner, greener and smarter mobility in European cities. The extended deadline to apply is 24 November 2023. 

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