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Traffic report

How major cities throughout the world are coming to terms with traffic problems thanks to mobility concepts based on buses: BRT systems, which provide dedicated traffic lanes for buses, make for brief stopping times and smooth operation. Tilman Wörtz investigates

The traffic banks up at the First Bosphorus Bridge. The air vibrates with the honking of horns, and pungent exhaust fumes are omnipresent. A heavy smog swirls under the bridge. Oil tankers pass along the Bosphorus far below, on their way from the ports of the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. To cross the bridge, the morning traffic heading for the European side has to narrow after the toll booths, which gives rise to long tailbacks. This spectacle is repeated at evening peak hour – only in the other direction.

Traffic jam in the direction of Europe
Istanbul is the only city in the world that extends over two continents. Its location on the Bosphorus is both a blessing and a curse, as its two sides are only linked by two bridges. With 13 million inhabitants – some sources list as many as 15 million – Istanbul’s population is larger than those of 105 countries. More and more people are moving to Istanbul. According to some predictions, 25 million people will be living in Istanbul by 2023, commuting between Asia and Europe, between home and the workplace.

Right: The Bosporus bridge

And all this with only two bridges? Impossible, say city planners and transport researchers, who are feverishly developing schemes to prevent the traffic from coming to a complete standstill. Everyone wants to extend the rail network, but the construction of new lines would take years and would not be possible in some areas in view of Istanbul’s hilly topography. Nevertheless, a speedy solution to the traffic problem must be found.

“We need planning that suitably links all transport modes and makes more efficient use of existing roads,” says 36-year-old Selim Dallı, one of the commuters on the Bosphorus Bridge. He is sitting in a minibus that collects him and his colleagues from their homes in the Asian part of the city and conveys them to their workplace an hour’s drive to the west of the center, where the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz Türk are located.

Selim Dallı is Mercedes-Benz Türk’s expert on so-called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, which provide dedicated traffic lanes for buses. With short departure intervals, barrier-free entrances at bus stops, pre-ticketing and traffic prioritization, BRT systems make for brief stopping times and smooth operation. Buses can therefore rush past the lines of cars and trucks uninterruptedly, in doing so significantly increasing the effective volume of the public transport system and reducing travel times and emissions.

Left: Selim Dalli, Citybus – public sales, BRT expert at Mercedes-Benz

BRT systems – a versatile transport solution for congested cities with a tight budget – are currently the focus of intensive discussions among market experts the world over. BRT is already in urban operation in practically every Latin American country. In particular, rapidly growing economies such as India are now considering introduction. Selim Dallı’s role is to act as a local contact for all inquiries relating to BRT.

Within the space of just two years, the ‘Metrobüs’ has been installed on one of five lanes of the E5 Highway leading from Europe through Istanbul to Ankara – with low investment costs compared to other systems worldwide and with a daily capacity of 715,000 passengers. As it was not possible for a rail system to be built on the bridge, crossing it with the Metrobüs was the only alternative.

08:15hrs, Istanbul Avcilar
BRT stop
The Metrobüs starts here, in the west of the city. The station looks more like a subway platform. The passengers pass through a turnstile and pay with an electronic ticket that can be loaded at a machine. At 40-second intervals, two to three articulated Mercedes-Benz buses can dock at the stations. These so-called ‘CapaCity’ buses from Mercedes-Benz are manufactured in Mannheim, and have four instead of three axles.

The highway’s BRT lanes are separated from the other lanes of traffic by steel cables. In other cities, yellow lines on the road or a row of curbstones mark the BRT lanes. At an average speed of 40km/h, the buses roar past the lines of cars on either side, right across Istanbul and even over the Bosphorus Bridge to the Asian part of town. “It used to take me two hours to get to my lectures,” says a student passenger, “but now just one.” He is not alone. Over a third of Istanbul’s citizens spend more than two hours in city traffic.

08:55hrs, city center

The BRT route continues on through the mirror-façade canyons of Mecidiyeköy and Zincirlikuyu. More and more men in suits and ties come aboard here, along with sprucely dressed businesswomen. The spacious air-conditioned buses reflect a different kind of bus transportation.

“Istanbul is a city of the future,” says mayor and architect Kadir Topbas in his foreword to the new bus schedule. “Around 80,000 people who used to drive to work every day now commute on the Metrobüs.” Since being put into operation, vehicles powered by engines complying with the Euro V emission standards – well in advance of mandatory installation – are used in line service, which shows the importance given to the environment.

Right: Istanbul’s BRT system runs into the night

Although the system greatly enhances traffic flow, 500 new vehicle registrations daily create new challenges. Extensions of the BRT system are under consideration, and the rail network is also to be greatly expanded. What transport modes are best suited to the various parts of the city? “We have installed Metrobüs on a route that is too hilly for a rail link,” Hayri Baracli, general manager, Istanbul Elektrik Tramvay ve Tünel Isletmeleri (IETT). “On the other hand, Baracli concedes that the streets in many parts of the city would be too narrow for a dedicated bus lane. Here, the standard bus routes must serve as a feeder.

BRT line
Selim Dallı works in close cooperation with his BRT colleagues from Daimler Buses headquarters, where a special BRT team has been established. This team coordinates the bus sector’s worldwide BRT activities and has competence in transport planning. Five transport planners and strategists in Stuttgart group together the experience of their colleagues, prepare this information for presentations and consultations, and develop specific BRT strategies for individual regions on this basis. The question arises, for example, as to whether BRT makes the air cleaner. The local BRT system brings about a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 623 tons per day in Istanbul.

Stuttgart, 2,000km away
“BRT is about much more than just buses. It is about better transportation, and ultimately better quality of life,” says Holger Suffel, head of marketing, sales and aftersales Daimler Buses, who is responsible for the BRT team. “Experience from other countries will enable us to develop tailor-made BRT systems to suit individual local requirements. The activities are still at a very early stage, but I see the rapidly rising demand as an encouraging sign.” Stefan Sahlmann, manager of BRT Concepts and Strategy, confirms the growing worldwide significance of BRT. The number of inquiries from Daimler Buses’ global sales structure has risen sharply. Several systems are currently under development in Mexico, and South Africa is also setting store by BRT in order to cope with the throngs of visitors to the World Cup; many South African cities have commissioned feasibility studies. Plans are also being drawn up for Madrid. Daimler’s BRT representatives are seeking to position Daimler Buses in the growing market of mobility concepts for major cities.

Richard Mejía, manager of BRT Transport Planning at headquarters, is sitting at his computer preparing a speech for a conference in New Delhi. The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) invited scientists, officials from various transport agencies, and employees of transport companies to an exchange of ideas on BRT, at which Richard Mejía was asked to give a presentation. This topic was the subject of much discussion in India. The Indian government has provided funding for pilot projects in 15 cities, and a 14km test track has already been set up in Pune. Mejía and his colleagues have found that the bus lane is wider than necessary. They have devised a computer model for an alternative, with a few centimeters from each lane reassigned to a grass strip or pedestrian path. “Our model provides pedestrians with greater safety, and they breathe cleaner air,” explains Mejía. One of his favorite topics is transit-oriented development. The best-studied example is Curitiba in Brazil, where the world’s first BRT system is in operation. The city authorities realized at a very early stage of urbanization that the entire traffic must not be routed to the center,” says Mejía. “On the introduction of the BRT line in 1972, they designated five wide streets as principal traffic arteries, in order to avoid the concentration of commercial areas and thus reduce traffic.”

Left: Several new BRT lines are also planned, and construction will start in the near future

Sandro Baumann, an intern in the field of BRT at Daimler Buses Stuttgart, is from Curitiba and grew up with that city’s BRT line. “Skyscrapers have emerged along the bus route, with shops on the ground floor and offices above. The townscape has grown together with the BRT system.”

But why is interest only now starting to be shown in BRT systems, although experience from Curitiba has long since been available? This is because rail transport was long regarded as the more modern and more sustainable solution. Stefan Sahlmann recently organized a delegation from Abu Dhabi to visit Selim Dallı in Istanbul. There is already a metro line in the neighboring emirate of Dubai, and a further line is under consideration. The delegation to Istanbul will clarify whether a metro or BRT is the preferred solution for Abu Dhabi. After all, BRT systems can be implemented much more cost-effectively.

09:18hrs, Sögütlücesme

Bosporus bridge
The high-capacity bus reaches the terminus of the BRT line on the Asian side of Istanbul. A loop behind the bus stop is provided for the buses to turn. Just beyond it is a large car park enabling commuters to change from individual traffic to public transport. Minibuses take passengers on feeder routes into the surrounding area. Facing the road are residential and office buildings, including a large hall for wedding receptions. The soccer stadium is also close at hand. Sögütlücesme is a colorful neighborhood – a piece of modern Istanbul; this reminds Selim Dallı of a sentence he read in a newspaper interview with a passenger who has been commuting daily on the BRT line ever since the introduction of Metrobüs. “I, too, am now a first-class citizen.”
 

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