Special workshop for the traffic problem of metropolitan cities
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“Coordination and Evaluation Workshop for the Metropolitan Municipalities’ Transportation Problems and the Solutions Thereof” was held by Istanbul Ticaret University Transportation Systems Application and Research Center.
Representatives from 28 Metropolitan Municipalities and relevant ministries attended the three-day workshop held at Istanbul Kaya Istanbul Fair & Convention Hotel. Interested faculty members from the universities, private sector representatives and non-governmental organizations also showed great interest to the event. In the workshop, the theme of Metropolitan Municipalities’ Transportation Problems and the Solutions Thereof was discussed under five dimensions, that is, Metropolitan Municipalities’ Transportation Planning Strategies, Emerging Transportation Systems Applications, Methods to Finance Transportation Systems, Legislative Problems Experienced by the Metropolitan Municipalities and Solutions to These Problems, and Traffic Safety, in five separate sessions.
All of the speeches made during the workshop were recorded and deciphered by the reporters of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Final Declaration of the Workshop was drafted based on all the views brought up during the workshop.
THE EMPHASIS ON PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
There was a specific emphasis in the Final Declaration on the need for the rapid initiation and completion of the legislative work required for the implementation of public-private partnerships specific to transportation systems. In parallel, the following statements were included in the Final Declaration:
“It is necessary to determine and follow the national and international credit and financing methods that are most suitable for the conditions of the country, to scrutinize the green financing conditions, and to take investment decisions that promote green transportation infrastructures. It is very important that systems with low investment – operation – maintenance costs, which are envisaged to bring significant conveniences to the municipalities, are included in the standardization studies carried out in the context of the new public transportation systems standard development studies launched by the Turkish Republic Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure General Directorate of Infrastructure Investments.”
COORDINATION OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
It was stated in the Final Declaration that central government and local governments should work in strong coordination in the supply and development of transportation systems and that local governments should be supported in these processes. In this framework, the following statements were included in the Final Declaration:
“Adaptation to rapidly changing technological developments and transformation of existing infrastructures bring certain costs for local governments. Central government and local governments must work in strong coordination in the supply and development of new generation transportation vehicles and infrastructure systems, and local governments should be supported in these processes. This strong coordination should ensure that the central government increases its existing support to local governments in order to provide access to a cost-effective transportation system for users, taking into account the current economic conditions.”
PREFERENTIAL BUS ROUTES
The importance of public transportation in the context of eliminating the traffic congestion was emphasized in the Final Declaration and it was also noted that preferential bus routes should be determined and adaptive intersection designs and applications should be carried out. In this regard, the following statements were included in the Final Declaration:
“The infrastructure and the use of technological innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), which will enable and vehicles to communicate with each other, should be prioritized for an effective transportation management.”
TRAFFIC SAFETY
Additionally, human error was emphasized in the Final Declaration as the most important cause of traffic accidents and traffic safety was given a wide coverage. It was recommended to provide financial support for projects such as “There are No Minor Errors in Traffic” and to create permanent awareness in children beginning from very young ages. In addition, it was noted that the latest technology smart transportation systems applications should be focused on as the best way to manage the traffic and the public transportation systems and to provide traffic safety and interactive warning and control systems should be put into use.
The audiovisual recordings of the three-day workshop can be watched on Radyo-Trafik’s Youtube account.
