Turkey |
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Where bicycling is only for the brave
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27 Sep 2008 Sat 11:30 am |
Cycling, the healthiest and cheapest form of transportation, is a challenge when it comes to Istanbul. Lack of bike lanes, insensitive drivers, plus pedestrians who often don’t look behind make it more difficult to ride in the city. So who rides in Istanbul and where?
Legendary band Queen sang “I want to ride my bicycle. I want to ride it where I like” almost 30 years ago and Istanbul could have provided the backdrop. But, in 2008, with 12 million people and more than 2 million cars, Istanbul is no longer the ideal city for cycling.
If one were to ride freely in this city today, possible scenarios include being hit on the head by a grocery basket thrown from a window or being stopped by pedestrians confused about which way to walk when they see a bike rider.
More: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=116360
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One of my dreams was to cycle once from Rotterdam to Turkey but after I saw the ´politeness´ of drivers in Turkey, I decided it will stay a dream. I don´t want to die!
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27 Sep 2008 Sat 12:49 pm |
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One of my dreams was to cycle once from Rotterdam to Turkey but after I saw the ´politeness´ of drivers in Turkey, I decided it will stay a dream. I don´t want to die!
not only cycling is dangerous here, the traffic rules are normally same like in Europe, but looks like most people drive how they want
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27 Sep 2008 Sat 07:28 pm |
It is one thing I noticed about Turkey - no bicyles and hardly any motor bikes. Not like Italy where there is a prevalance of both. Don´t Turks like riding bikes, even the quieter rural areas?
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27 Sep 2008 Sat 07:58 pm |
It is one thing I noticed about Turkey - no bicyles and hardly any motor bikes. Not like Italy where there is a prevalance of both. Don´t Turks like riding bikes, even the quieter rural areas?
You are joking??? Round here you dice with death everytime you cross the road - never mind the cars, its the mopeds/motorbikes zooming in and out of the traffic, cutting corners across the pavements, u-turning in the middle of the road! I was walking through the backstreets of Bodrum a couple of days ago and I reckon I was lucky to get out alive! .
And what about the family on a motorbike syndrome - mum, dad, a couple of kids and possibly a dog!!
Pushbikes are as bad, no bells, no brakes and no sense of direction! (and that´s just me on mine!!)
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28 Sep 2008 Sun 02:07 pm |
There is nothing to be proud of about the traffic in Turkey in general. It is so messy, so chaotic and full of reckless drivers and pedesterians that it has already become the number one problem not only for the big apple but also for other relatively large cities in the country.
I have a bicycle too. In the past I used to travel about the city usually doing 40 or so kilometers in one go. There is a long bicycle lane along the Southern coastline of the Asian side which seems to continue forever. Again there are ignorant drivers who park their cars on the bicycle road forcing you to divert to the busy motorway sometimes risking your life.
If you are so much into bicycling you should really go to the Prince islands off shore Istanbul. It is a heaven for people with bcycles. Don´t forget to eat meatballs and drink monk´s wine in Aya Yorgi. Enjoy the fantastic sea view from all directions. If you are there at the sunset, it will be an experience to remember. One of my favourite places in Istanbul.
When I was younger I could climb Aya Yorgi hill on a bicycle all the way up. In fact I climbed it seven times without getting off the bike. I am still proud of this fact
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28 Sep 2008 Sun 02:15 pm |
It´s a pity, Vineyards, I really like long distance cycling holidays but as you say it is playing with your life, so I won´t do it.
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28 Sep 2008 Sun 06:07 pm |
You are joking??? Round here you dice with death everytime you cross the road - never mind the cars, its the mopeds/motorbikes zooming in and out of the traffic, cutting corners across the pavements, u-turning in the middle of the road! I was walking through the backstreets of Bodrum a couple of days ago and I reckon I was lucky to get out alive! .
And what about the family on a motorbike syndrome - mum, dad, a couple of kids and possibly a dog!!
Pushbikes are as bad, no bells, no brakes and no sense of direction! (and that´s just me on mine!!)
Yes but that is a touristy area and not the sort of rural area I am talking about. In our travels last year across Turkey to the north, we hardly saw any motobikes and I mean the serious big boy sort and no bicycles that I can recall.
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28 Sep 2008 Sun 09:54 pm |
Yes but that is a touristy area and not the sort of rural area I am talking about. In our travels last year across Turkey to the north, we hardly saw any motobikes and I mean the serious big boy sort and no bicycles that I can recall.
But its not tourists I´m talking about its Turks!
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28 Sep 2008 Sun 10:18 pm |
But its not tourists I´m talking about its Turks!
I meant Turks too!
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28 Sep 2008 Sun 11:00 pm |
I know YOU meant Turks but I thought you thought I meant tourists because you said Bodrum is a touristy area! (btw SO nice to hear the word ´touristy´ instead of ´touristic´ - a word that really gets on my nerves
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