ISTANBUL – Metrobus, a public transit system in Istanbul, received the honorable mention award at the “Sustainable Transportation Awards 2009.” The award, given each year to a city that has provided an innovative transportation strategy, is given by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, or ITDP.
The working project should lessen the impact of climate change and reduce air pollution and greenhouse emissions from transportation. The institute, founded in 1985 to promote environmentally sustainable and socially equitable transportation worldwide, is one of the leading organizations promoting environmentally friendly projects. During its first 10 years, the sustainable transport supporters’ institution successfully promoted multi-modal transport solutions.
The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Metrobus project received the award Jan. 13. Competing for this year’s award were Istanbul, New York, Milan, Mexico and Pekin. New York received the big award with its PlaNYC 2030, a huge environmental project for the coming 25 years.
In 2008 Paris and London received the Sustainable Transportation Award and in 2007 Guayquil, Ecuador, was the winner. On the Web page of the ITDP Metrobus project is explained as a very sustainable project compared to Istanbul’s many other high-cost transportation projects.
’Other cities in Turkey look for ways to have metrobus’
“The system now carries 450,000 passengers a day over 43 kilometers of bus lanes separated from the highway. Metrobus was built on expressways, so its travel speed is uncommonly fast at 40 kilometers per hour. This has reduced travel time by 75 percent. The system is also integrated with the underground metro and existing bus services. Other cities in Turkey are looking to this low cost, quickly implemented example as a model,” the site said.
The awards were presented at the Conference of Transportation Research Boards. General Director of the Istanbul Car Parking Management, or ISPARK, Kadir Gurbetçi, Assistant to the General Director of Istanbul Transportation, or ULA?IM Co., Ali ?hsan Uygun, and specialists from other countries were present at the ceremony.
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Metrobus Gets Sustainable Award