Turkey’s ruling party and main opposition may be on different pages when it comes to finding solutions to the problems facing the country, but the parties’ mayoral candidates for Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul, appear to agree on how to tackle the city’s transportation problems: build more railways.
As local elections loom on March 30, prominent candidates have begun disclosing their pet projects for Turkey's biggest city, ranging from transportation to its social and cultural life.
Among the schemes, transportation is proving the most eye-catching, as 70 percent of the city's dwellers believe it is the most important and urgent problem that needs solving, according to a recent research.
Istanbul's incumbent mayor, Kadir Topbas -- also Turkey’s ruling AKP’s candidate -- is promising a 430-kilometer long railway in 2019.
"I want to be remembered as a mayor who built railways for this city. When our railway projects end, it will compete with New York’s metro network," Topbas said on Monday during a presentation to the party’s members and enthusiastic supporters.
Istanbul’s railway network was 45-kilometers long before 2004 and extended to 141-kilometers in 2013.
Along with railways, Topbas also voiced his commitment to complete the construction of a third bridge to help ease the city’s traffic jams.
- 'Great projects'
Apart from transportation, he did not elaborate on his plans for another term and just voiced his commitment to realize more "great projects."
“I am not going to list one-by-one what I will do,” he said.
Topbas’ arch rival, Mustafa Sarigul, the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s candidate, voiced similar solutions for the city’s transportation hurdles.
Calling transportation the city’s “biggest problem,” he said he would renew the main city's plans and focus on increasing railway coverage.
“Railways constitute 20 percent of the overall transportation system. I will increase that to 50 percent,” Sarigul said, adding that he would also increase sea transportation.
He also promised that Gezi Park would remain a park, while Topbas declined to reveal his plan for it during Monday’s presentation.
A construction plan for Gezi Park triggered nationwide protests last summer, leaving eight people dead including a police officer.
Kadir Topbas has been the mayor of Istanbul since 2004, while his rival has been the mayor of Istanbul’s Sisli district for the last 15 years.
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