Turkey aims to have quarter of inner-city commutes by bicycle

The World Resources Institute (WRI) Turkey Sustainable Cities aims to have 1 in every 10 inner-city commutes by bicycle in Turkey in the mid-term and a quarter in the longer term to reduce emissions in transportation and as a key component in the fight against climate change, Güneş Cansız, director of WRI Turkey Sustainable Cities, told Anadolu Agency in an interview.

Cansız recommended setting up a working group with central and local administrations, including bicycle users and non-governmental organizations to enable better communication towards expanding the use of bicycle transportation in Turkey.

"Action plans and road maps should be drawn up from this coordination to integrate a secure bicycle network with public transport," she said.

Ultimately, she said that the WRI aims to have one in every three short-distance trips of below 5 kilometers made by bicycle and to have every person own a bicycle.

She said the COVID-19 pandemic has offered an opportunity to transit to a more integrated and environmentally friendly structure. The pandemic saw a drop in inner-city mobility by up to 90 percent globally and a 90 percent fall in demand for public transportation in Turkey.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) found that global emissions dropped by a record 6 percent in 2020 when billions of people were restricted from using transport due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Globally, transportation is still responsible for 24 percent of direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion. Road vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses and two- and three-wheelers account for nearly three-quarters of transport CO2 emissions and aviation and shipping are responsible for the remaining share.

Cansız cited the post-1970s oil crisis as a time...