The panel on transportation organized by the Chamber of Civil Engineers (IMO) Adana Branch on April 26, 2025 brought important discussions about the transportation problems of the city to the agenda. The event, which was held with the participation of expert guests in the field, once again revealed how distant local governments are from the principle of “participation”. Such public meetings of TMMOB and affiliated chambers are one of the rare platforms where citizens living in Adana can voice their urban problems. Although this important initiative of the IMO administration is commendable, the picture that emerged during the panel draws a worrying picture of deep class distinctions and the disregard for the needs of the poor in Adana’s transportation planning.
Transportation Master Plan Ambiguity and Lack of Public Participation
Although the panel announced that Adana’s long-awaited transportation master plan had finally been implemented, the lack of transparency regarding the content of the plan drew attention. The fact that the plan was created by a narrow group of experts in closed meetings held in five-star hotels brought criticism that the public and relevant civil society organizations were not involved. Although it is understandable that such a study requiring expertise cannot be conducted directly with the public, consultation meetings with broad participation could have been held beforehand to determine the public’s priorities and needs regarding transportation. The expectations of city residents could have also been understood through surveys. However, such participatory mechanisms were not put into practice, and the fact that public information activities were not conducted after the plan was completed undermines the legitimacy of the plan. According to the limited information obtained from the IMO panel regarding the transportation master plan, it was stated that the plan targeted the year 2035 and included projects such as completing the unfinished light rail system, building a new tram line from Turgut Özal Boulevard to the City Hospital and Çukurova University, and creating a touristic tram ring line around Tepebağ and Büyüksaat. However, it is stated that the process of obtaining the approval of the relevant ministry and the necessary financing for the implementation of these projects is ongoing.
Traffic Discussion, Transportation Issues Ignored in Panel
The presentations of the invited scientists on the panel raised questions about the scope of the transportation master plan and how much it focused on Adana’s real transportation problems. The fact that most of the speakers focused on traffic regulations such as vehicle speed limits and roundabouts, which are their sub-areas of expertise, created the impression that the panel fell short of meeting expectations under the heading of “transportation.” Considering that the concepts of transportation and traffic are different things or that traffic is a subset of transportation, the panel’s focus on vehicle mobility largely prevented the city-wide transportation problems from being addressed in depth. The fact that no solution proposals were put forward regarding the transportation problems of neighborhoods such as Denizli, Narlıca, Yeşilevler, Şakirpaşa, Uçak, Gülbahçesi, Meydan, Barbaros, Mıdık, Hadırlı, Cumhuriyet, 19 Mayıs, and others, where hundreds of thousands of poor citizens live, suggests that the panel had a limited perspective.
Class Preferences and the Transportation Problem of Poor Neighborhoods
According to the information obtained from the panel, the Adana transportation master plan has clearly made a class preference and has planned to focus rail system investments on the “upper” regions where the wealthier segments live. This leaves the question of how the transportation problems of hundreds of thousands of poor people living in the socio-economically disadvantaged regions of Adana will be solved unanswered. It is understood that the insufficient bus services provided at long intervals to the mentioned neighborhoods are deemed sufficient. In fact, the transportation problem in Adana has long been left to market conditions. While there are 1100 minibuses and 500 private buses operating on the city streets, the number of buses of the Metropolitan Municipality is at a very low level of only 290. It is a frequently encountered situation in daily life that a significant portion of the municipal bus fleet consists of old vehicles that have completed their economic life. It is estimated that the number of municipal buses operating daily in the Adana city center, with a population approaching two million, is around 200 at most. This picture clearly reveals the inadequacy of the municipality’s public transportation services and its dependence on private vehicles.
Solution Proposal: Strengthening the Municipal Bus Fleet
It is clear that in order to produce permanent solutions to Adana’s transportation problems, the central government’s negative policies against opposition municipalities must be overcome. However, it should also be taken into account that it will take a long time for the city’s people to have access to modern and high-capacity public transportation facilities such as rail systems. The most realistic and applicable alternative that needs to be done in the short term is for the Adana Metropolitan Municipality to significantly increase its bus fleet. If possible and budgetary opportunities allow, it would be an important gain for the city if the newly purchased buses were environmentally friendly electric vehicles. In order to end the transportation suffering of hundreds of thousands of people living in poor neighborhoods and to establish a more equitable transportation system throughout the city, it is vital that the municipality takes concrete steps in this direction. Otherwise, the transportation master plan will continue to serve the needs of only a certain segment and deepen class discrimination.
