Traffic Congestion Worsens As Construction Begins On Taksim Project

Road work has caused heavy traffic congestion in İstanbul's Taksim Square as part of a project to transform the tourist hub into a vehicle-free zone.



The city of İstanbul closed off a 400-square-meter area to begin road constructions for the Taksim Square Project on Monday. City buses and shared taxis (dolmuşes) began to take alternative routes designated for the course of the project, which is expected to last 240 days. The buses and dolmuşes coming from various neighborhoods around İstanbul dropped off their passengers at locations outside of the square as a result of the construction. Traffic was brought to a slow crawl as vehicles were squeezed into detours.



Members of the Taksim Platform, a nongovernmental organization that joined the growing opposition to the municipality's plans for the square, congregated on Sunday evening in front of the famous square for a sit-in protest. They chanted slogans against the reorganization of Taksim Square, a subject that has stirred hot debates among authorities, artists and İstanbulites.



Cem Tüzün delivered a press statement on behalf of Taksim Platform members. He noted that women, children, the disabled and others will have to wait underground and inhale exhaust fumes as the project is going to relocate major traffic routes underground to accommodate both pedestrians and the area's heavy traffic. Tüzün stated the group will continue its protest until the municipality stops the project.



Meanwhile, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded to criticism on the project on Saturday saying that he knows about the traffic problems in the square and that the municipality plans to solve them with the project. The prime minister pointed to the fact that people will be able to freely walk in the square without facing traffic problems after the project is completed.



The Taksim Square Project was given the green light following a push from Prime Minister Erdoğan and İstanbul Mayor Kadir Topbaş last year to repurpose the square. The Metropolitan Municipality Assembly gave its unanimous consensus last September. The project has been condemned by several artists, critics and politicians, who called the Taksim Square Project a crime, as they believe the project will destroy the historical site and the cosmopolitan nature of İstanbul.



(Cihan/Today's Zaman)