Viennese expertise on the Bosporus

Vienna’s transport planning has attracted considerable interest in Istanbul. At a symposium on urban transport the possibility of cooperation between the two cities in the development of new technologies was discussed.

Detailed planning of road works

A road surface management system based on satellite navigation to monitor the state of the road surfaces will be tested in the Mariahilf district of Vienna in summer 2007. Damage to the road surface or pavement will be entered locally into a computer to enable road works to be planned in detail. As Istanbul is considering a similar project, City Councillor for Urban Development, Traffic and Transport Rudi Schicker has been discussing the possibility of collaboration with his Turkish counterparts. “Both sides would save development costs,” he says.

Interest in parking management in Vienna

Istanbul’s urban planners are particularly interested in Vienna’s parking system by mobile phone and the way the city manages parking in general. Although the vehicle density in Vienna is more than double that of Istanbul, the steady increase in the number of vehicles is becoming a serious problem, not least in view of the size of the city – it has 12 million inhabitants, making it the largest city in Europe. There are plans to introduce a toll charge for the city centre.

Inadequate public transport system

One of the main reasons for the daily traffic jams in Istanbul is the underdeveloped public transport system, some of which has even been closed down. “Vienna did not make the mistake of abandoning its tram system,” says Rafet Bozdogan, deputy secretary general for transport in Istanbul, in appreciation of Vienna’s transport planning.

Software and technologies for Istanbul

Schicker is planning to provide assistance in software and technology development for the extension of the underground railway and tram system. A few years ago, Bombardier-Werk in Vienna received a major order to supply 55 low-floor tram units for the Turkish city of Eskisehir.

Vienna’s trams

Istanbul’s current local rail system is just 54 km n length. In the next few years a further 88 km will be added. The tram units from Vienna are already making the Istanbul passenger transport system more attractive. The symposium on urban transport was organised on behalf of TINA Vienna, the Vienna competence centre for trans-European transport networks.

TINA Turkey

In September 2005 TINA Vienna won an order from the European Commission to develop a multi-modal transport network in Turkey and to link it with the transport networks of its European neighbours. The TINA Turkey project will run until November 2007 and will include an infrastructure analysis and traffic forecast in Turkey until the year 2020, as well as an assessment of the construction work required.

Exhibition of Viennese architecture

The symposium also included talks between urban planners from Vienna and Istanbul at Minar Sinan University. In the university’s Tophane Centre, Councillor Schicker and Istanbul’s mayor Kadir Topbas opened the exhibitions “Vienna Architecture – State of the Art” and “Vienna, Urban Renewal/Urban Conservation”, which will run until 18 May. The Vienna Ball taking place in Istanbul at the end of November will give a further opportunity to continue the discussions. A presentation of Viennese culture is also planned.


Further information: Viennese Know-How for Sofia’s Traffic Logistics

Link-Tip

TINA Vienna