Snow brings life in Istanbul to a standstill
Hurriyet.com.tr
Pedestrians walk on bus lanes as cars stop on the highway. DHA photo
Heavy snowfall that affected Istanbul yesterday afternoon brought rush-hour traffic to close to a complete halt, forcing commuters to walk on bus lanes and cross the Bosphorus bridge on foot.Car ferries stopped working due to adverse conditions at sea, resulting in more vehicles heading to the two bridges that connect the Asian and European sides of Istanbul, where 15 million people live.
Metrobuses that travel on separated lanes and offer a relatively faster mode of transportation stopped working for some time after one bus was stranded while climbing a hill. Hundreds of commuters who gave up on waiting for the metrobus took to the highway and crossed the Bosphorus bridge on foot, which was temporarily opened to pedestrians.
Those who wanted to cross the Bosphorus bridge with their cars suffered as officials closed the road to vehicles after traffic on the bridge came to a complete halt due to an accident, directing drivers to the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge.
Drivers who expected the morning’s sunny conditions to continue throughout the day were caught unprepared, resulting in numerous vehicles being stranded on roads.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality deployed 870 vehicles and 2,400 workers in an effort to keep roads clear of snow and prevent icing.
