MOBLITY, CAR USE AND TRAFFIC CONGESTION :
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ISTANBUL

Haluk GERÇEK (Istanbul Technical University)

Urban transportation has long been formed by a road-based policy focusing on providing more road capacities to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of motor vehicles in our cities. As a result, multi-lane roadways, over and underpasses, complex intersections etc. have been built to solve the ever increasing congestion problem. However, additional capacities provided by these road investments facilitated a rapid growth in car use and created “induced traffic” as a result of the changes in the land-use and activity patterns. Even the most sophisticated traffic engineering and management solutions of modern world have no lasting effects on this never-ending spiral in demand for road space.

This paper examines the issues of mobility, congestion and car use in Istanbul as compared to some metropolitan cities in both developing and developed parts of the world and emphasizes the essential role of the public transportation system for sustainable cities.