Istanbul’s traffic measured

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The longest recent traffic jam in Istanbul lasted for 72 hours on the Atatürk Bridge.

People in Istanbul spend on average two and a half times more time in traffic when trying to return home from work between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. compared to normal hours, according to a recent study.

Conducted by Yandex, the study shows that the total length of traffic jams in Istanbul during rush hours was 1,100 kilometers, which is twice as long as the distance between Istanbul and İzmir.Jams tend to be located in city center in the mornings and during the daytime, and move to the suburbs in the evenings, the survey says. The longest recent traffic jam lasted for 72 hours on the Atatürk Bridge, which is located on the Golden Horn, in April 2012.

Traffic jams increased by 0.5 percent in the spring compared to the winter in Istanbul, the surveys adds.
 Meanwhile, the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, one of the two bridges connecting Istanbul’s Asian and European sides, will be partially closed between June 18 and Sept. 17 for roadworks.