İstanbul Sustainable Urban Mobility Second Phase

İstanbul Sustainable Urban Mobility Second Phase Event was held

The Opening Event of the SUMP Project with the Largest Budget Financed Under SOPT "İstanbul Sustainable Urban Transportation Plan Second Phase" was held.

The opening event of the İstanbul SUMP Stage II-Implementation Plan Project, which is implemented under the Sectoral Operational Program for Transport within the scope of Republic of Türkiye-EU financial cooperation and of which İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality is the beneficiary, was held in İstanbul on 12 December 2023.

At the meeting where all stakeholders were represented at the highest level, General Director of EU Affairs and Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and Head of the Operating Structure Burak Aykan, Mayor of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Ekrem İmamoğlu, Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer Landrut, GIZ International Services Administrative Manager Siegfried Leffler on behalf of the contractor companies have made their opening speeches.

Initiated with the slogan "Walking into the Future for a Livable İstanbul", regulations aimed at creating low emission zones that will reduce automobile use, carbon emissions and air pollution in the central regions of the city, projects that will develop the maritime transportation network, safe pedestrian and bicycle paths, bus priority lane applications and pilot projects will be implemented. More than 300 people from İstanbul attended the event where pilot projects were introduced.

Within the scope of the opening speeches of the event, Mr. Burak Aykan gave information about the projects implemented under SOPT in the IPA I period and stated that they took initiatives to support the urban transportation projects that started to be supported for the first time in the IPA II period, also in the IPA III period. He emphasized that the İstanbul SUMP project is the largest budgeted SUMP project financed within the program, with a budget of €5.5 Million.

IMM President Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu stated that the removal of vehicles from a very valuable region, such as the Historical Peninsula, which is the showcase of İstanbul, and the introduction of many planned transportation investments to the citizens within a strategic framework, were built on the basis of the 'İstanbul Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan'.

During the opening speeches, the Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Meyer-Landrut, on behalf of the EU, which co-financed the project, drew attention to the climate crisis. Mr. Meyer-Landrut stated that transportation increases carbon dioxide emissions worldwide and that smart mobility plans, as well as SUMPs, will help reverse this situation, and that he is pleased that İstanbul is a part of this.

For more information about the event click here.