Frustrated drivers protest repetitive traffic fines on Istanbul street

ISTANBUL

Some drivers passing through a street in Esenler, Istanbul, found themselves repeatedly slapped with traffic fines for alleged rule violations, sparking protest.

The consistent issuance of fines on a street in the Davutpaşa neighborhood prompted a demonstration as frustrated drivers formed convoys and took to the streets to express their anger. To prevent further fines, drivers covered their license plates while protesting.

Several drivers in Esenler received multiple traffic fines on the same day and at the same time on the same street from an honorary inspector who is said to be a retired police officer. Ahmet İpri, a driver who had received numerous fines on the street, expressed his frustration with the honorary inspector, stating, "In 2023, this guy relentlessly kept issuing fines to us. We supposedly played loud music, didn't wear seat belts, didn't turn on fog lights, or went in the wrong direction."

İpri recounted receiving a total of 48 separate fines on the street, totaling 62,000 Turkish Liras ($1,992), adding, "The fines just keep coming; they never stop." Asking to be rid of the honorary inspector, İpri argued that "It's not a highway, it's not an expressway. It's just a regular street. He just writes tickets. There are at least 3,000 people like us who have been fined on this street."

Volkan Karakaş, another driver who was fined on the street, added, "An honorary inspector, a retired police officer, started issuing fines to us repeatedly. As the tickets piled up, I realized that it wasn't about me."

Karakaş continued, "He fines us simultaneously on the same day. On the day I was fined, despite having videos and photos proving I was outside of Esenler, he issued seven fines to me."