As the hours passed, the congestion increased even more, especially on the main arteries, where traffic almost came to a standstill.
Return Nightmare in Istanbul: The City Has Stopped
With the return of Istanbul residents who went out of the city during the holiday, a huge vehicle congestion explosion occurred in the city.
Especially on the first day of the return to work, the roads started to fill up from the morning hours; By the evening hours, traffic was almost blocked.
15 July Martyrs Bridge: Kilometer-long queues formed on the crossing from Europe to Anatolia.
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge: Congestion lasted for hours at the bridge entrance and connecting roads.
TEM Highway and E-5 (D-100): Flow stopped intermittently in both directions.
Even at the exits of the Eurasia Tunnel, vehicles were almost completely blocked. It couldn’t move forward.
Public Transportation Vehicles Also Fully Packed
Not only private vehicles, but also public transportation vehicles were packed. While queues formed at Metrobus stops, the density on Marmaray and metro lines peaked during morning and evening hours. Citizens who had difficulty finding seats on buses stated that the number of services was insufficient in some areas. Why Has Traffic Congestion Increased So Much? According to transportation experts, this situation is not surprising. Here are the main reasons: The preference for private vehicles instead of public transportation has further congested the roads. Holiday The fact that the holiday lasted 9 days caused those who went out of town to leave their return until the last day.
The opening of schools and the resumption of work life increased the traffic load simultaneously.
The fact that the number of vehicles in Istanbul exceeds 5 million leads to the same scenes being experienced after every holiday.
Traffic Reaction on Social Media
Istanbul residents who spent hours in traffic found a solution on social media. The hashtag “#IstanbulTraffic” quickly entered the Twitter (X) trending list. Users shared their traffic woes in a humorous way, with some posts receiving thousands of likes:
“We’ve literally turned into a traffic jam, not Istanbul.”
“Welcome to the Association of Those Who Ended the Holiday on the Road.”
Warnings from Authorities
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the General Directorate of Security warned citizens to prefer public transportation, avoid peak traffic hours and alternative They urged people to use the designated routes. It was also recommended to check real-time traffic information via mobile traffic applications before making a decision.
A Familiar Scene for Istanbul, But Where is the Solution? As after every holiday, the “Istanbul traffic” nightmare was experienced again this year. However, unless a permanent solution to the traffic problem is found, this scenario seems likely to continue to be repeated after every long holiday.
