Truck drivers use Istanbul bridge during rush hour as time confusion reigns

ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires

Many truck drivers allegedly cross the bridge at all hours of the day without being stopped by police, a violation of the ‘rush hour ban.’ Hürriyet photo

Many trucks and semis are failing to adhere to regulations preventing them from crossing Istanbul’s Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge during peak hours, according to news reports.

“Police should check vehicles in order to prevent traffic jams during rush hours,” Hitay Güner, a lawyer and head of the Turkish Traffic Safety Association, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Tuesday. There is confusion, however, as to what precisely constitutes “rush hour,” as the guidelines of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the Highway Directorate and the police all differ from each other.

Heavy tonnage vehicles are not permitted to pass the bridge between 7 and 10 a.m. and again between 4 and 8 p.m., according to a decision from the Istanbul Transportation Coordination Center, or UKOME, published on the directorate’s official website. The hours were also confirmed by Yakup Dost, director of the 17th Regional Directorate for Roads, who said heavy tonnage vehicles were prohibited from using the bridge during these hours.

However, according to a municipal traffic plaque located on the European side of the highway, trucks and semis cannot cross the bridge only between 4 and 10 p.m. Authorities from the municipality’s Public Transportation Services Directorate confirmed the hours, adding that they were unaware of the listed hours provided by the roads directorate, daily Milliyet reported.

Members of the police, meanwhile, said trucks and semis are forbidden from crossing the bridge between 4 and 8 p.m. and added that law enforcement officers fined such vehicles that crossed during these hours, according to private channel NTV.

Regardless of the hours, the drivers of many trucks and semis regularly cross at all hours of the day without being stopped by police, thereby increasing traffic jams, the daily reported.

50 trucks in 15 minutes

The TEM highway route from the Seyrantepe neighborhood on the European side of the city is typically jammed from afternoon well into the evening.

According to observations conducted by Milliyet at a spot nearby the entrance to the bridge, 50 high tonnage vehicles cross the bridge on average every 15 minutes. There is no police at the bridge entrance to check for trucks and semis passing at prohibited times, the daily said.

The fine for violating the rush-hour ban is 62 Turkish Liras, according to the Turkish traffic code. In the event that the driver is not the vehicle’s owner, the fee rises to 130 liras for the driver and 270 liras for the vehicle’s owner or administrator.

‘Fees to low’

Güner told the Daily News that the penalty was too low to prevent people from continuing their action.

Because of the low fines, truck drivers will likely continue to cross the bridge at all hours as it is more economical to risk being caught than it is to wait for non-peak periods, Güner said.

Meanwhile, police officers said more parking places for heavy tonnage trucks were needed as a remedy to the problem, NTV reported.

Neither the directorate nor the municipality responded to the Daily News’ requests for comments as it went to press late Tuesday.