Cycling in Turkey

{{See also|Turkish Cycling Federation#History}}File:Turkish postmen.jpg

At first the Ottomans cycled for transport and later also for sport.{{Cite journal |last=Özsoy |first=Selami |journal=Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi |issn=2667-4750 |title=Osmanlı'dan Günümüze Türkiye'de Bisiklet Sporu - Cycling In Turkey From Ottomans To Our Day |language=en |issue=24 |url=https://www.academia.edu/43049291 }} The army used bicycles.{{Cite web |last=Wollina |first=Torsten |title=Into a bicycle history of the Middle East |url=https://mws.hypotheses.org/44071 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=Wissen in Verbindung |date=7 February 2019 |language=}} Many women in Turkey cycled, and cycling helped the feminist movement towards the end of the Ottoman Empire.{{Cite book|last=Raab |first=Alon |title=Women cycling in the Middle East |chapter=Wheels of Fire: Women cycling in the Middle East |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003142041-52/wheels-fire-alon-raab |publisher=Routledge Companion to Cycling |doi=10.4324/9781003142041-52 |isbn=9781003142041 |access-date=2022-12-19}} Thomas Stevens went through Constantinople on his round the world trip, as did others later in the 19th century, publishing accounts such as Across Asia on a Bicycle: The Journey of Two American Students from Constantinople to Peking.

Rahmi Koç Museum has a display of bicycles.{{Cite web |title=The Rahmi Koç Museum {{!}} istanbul.com |url=https://istanbul.com/city-life/the-rahmi-koc-museum |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=istanbul.com}}

A 2019 survey of Turkish college students found that 10 percent of cyclists wear a bike helmet.{{Cite journal |last1=Kılınç |first1=Eda |last2=Kartal |first2=Asiye |date=2022-02-15 |title=The frequency of bicycle helmet use among college students and health beliefs for bicycle helmet attitude |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07448481.2022.2032091 |journal=Journal of American College Health |language=en |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1080/07448481.2022.2032091 |pmid=35166646 |s2cid=246826514 |issn=0744-8481}} Respondents to a 2018 survey in Isparta said that Accident Prone Areas were the most important factor for integration with public transport.{{Cite journal |last1=Saplıoğlu |first1=M. |last2=Aydın |first2=M. M. |date=2018-09-01 |title=Choosing safe and suitable bicycle routes to integrate cycling and public transport systems |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214140516303929 |journal=Journal of Transport & Health |language=en |volume=10 |pages=236–252 |doi=10.1016/j.jth.2018.05.011 |s2cid=86671514 |issn=2214-1405|doi-access=free }} Some of the bike lanes created in that city in 2016 were removed in 2018, partly because roadside businesses wanted the space for car parking.{{Cite conference |last1=Gülcen Eren |first1=Şirin |last2=Olaoye Ajiboye |first2=Jesugbemi |title=Isparta Bicycle Route: The Conflict Between Private and Public Interests |conference=ICONARCH International Congress of Architecture and Planning |date=13–15 October 2020 |location=Istanbul |url=https://gcris.ktun.edu.tr/handle/20.500.13091/2765 |hdl=20.500.13091/2765 |publisher=Konya Technical University Faculty of Architecture and Design |language=en}}

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change has published a guide for cycle paths.{{Cite web |title=BİSİKLET YOLLARI KILAVUZ |url=https://webdosya.csb.gov.tr/db/meslekihizmetler/haberler/b-s-klet-yollari-kilavuzu-23.12.2019-20191223102511.pdf}} There is not much data available to help plan where bicycle routes should go.{{Cite journal |last1=Özkan |first1=Sevim Pelin |last2=Senol |first2=Fatma |last3=Ozcam |first3=Zeynep |date=2020 |title=Bicycle Route Infrastructure Planning Using GIS in an Urban Area: The Case of Izmir |url=http://acikerisim.mu.edu.tr/xmlui/handle/20.500.12809/654 |doi=10.14744/planlama.2020.41275 |s2cid=216281830 |journal=Planlama |issn=1300-7319|doi-access=free |hdl=11147/10297 |hdl-access=free }}

File:Beyoglu 5706.jpg, Istanbul]]

In 2019 a new regulation on cycle paths was issued,{{Cite web |title=BİSİKLET YOLLARI YÖNETMELİĞİ |url=https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2019/12/20191212-1.htm |access-date=2019-12-26 |website=www.resmigazete.gov.tr |language=tr}} but according to a 2020 study cities are not bike friendly.{{Cite journal |last=Ahsan |first=Md Moynul |date=2020-09-01 |title=Strategic decisions on urban built environment to pandemics in Turkey: Lessons from COVID-19 |journal=Journal of Urban Management |language=en |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=281–285 |doi=10.1016/j.jum.2020.07.001 |s2cid=221012904 |issn=2226-5856|doi-access=free |hdl=10419/271396 |hdl-access=free }} Cycle paths are sometimes not well connected.{{Cite book |last=Girginkaya Akdağ |first=Suzan |chapter=Small Icons with Wide Borders: The Semiotics of Micro-Mobility in Urban Space |date=2021 |url= |title=The Dialectics of Urban and Architectural Boundaries in the Middle East and the Mediterranean |series=The Urban Book Series |pages=135–151 |editor-last=Girginkaya Akdağ |editor-first=Suzan |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-71807-7_7 |isbn=978-3-030-71807-7 |s2cid=236663713 |editor2-last=Dinçer |editor2-first=Mine |editor3-last=Vatan |editor3-first=Meltem |editor4-last=Topçu |editor4-first=Ümran}} In 2021 a bicycle route master plan was published.{{Cite web |title=Turkey Bicycle Route Network Master Plan |url=https://webdosya.csb.gov.tr/db/cygm/icerikler/turk-ye-b-s-klet-yolu-agi-master-plan-brosur1-20211202130840.pdf}}{{Cite web |last=cygm.csb.gov.tr |title=Türkiye Bisiklet Ağı Master Planı - Çevre Yönetimi Genel Müdürlüğü |url=https://cygm.csb.gov.tr/turkiye-bisiklet-agi-master-plani-i-103852 |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=cygm.csb.gov.tr |language=tr}}

Suggestions have been made for Istanbul.{{Cite web |title=SAFE CYCLING DESIGN MANUAL FOR ISTANBUL Executive Summary |url=https://wrisehirler.org/sites/default/files/Safe%20Cycling%20Design%20Manual%20for%20Istanbul_Executive%20Summary.pdf}} Improvements were made in Istanbul during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite journal |last1=Demir |first1=O. |last2=Rojhani |first2=A. |last3=Hung |first3=C. |title=Promoting and preserving safe and active mobility in Istanbul during the COVID-19 pandemic |journal=European Journal of Public Health |date=2021 |volume=31 |issue=Suppl. 3 |page=iii292 |doi=10.1093/eurpub/ckab164.769|doi-access=free |pmc=8574654 }} Locations close to shorelines are thought to be best for bike sharing stations.{{Cite journal |last1=Guler |first1=Dogus |last2=Yomralioglu |first2=Tahsin |date=2021-07-03 |title=Location Evaluation of Bicycle Sharing System Stations and Cycling Infrastructures with Best Worst Method Using GIS |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00330124.2021.1883446 |journal=The Professional Geographer |language=en |volume=73 |issue=3 |pages=535–552 |doi=10.1080/00330124.2021.1883446 |s2cid=234853328 |issn=0033-0124}} Konya has the most bike lanes with over {{convert|400|km}}.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-04 |title=Using Cycling as an Indicator for Urban Quality of Life {{!}} |url=https://thecityfix.com/blog/using-cycling-as-an-indicator-for-urban-quality-of-life/ |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=TheCityFix |language=en-US}} Bikes (except tandems) are allowed on the Istanbul metro outside peak hours and if folded at any time.{{Cite web |title=Rules of Travel |url=https://www.metro.istanbul/en/content/rules-of-travel |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=www.metro.istanbul}} The city's sustainable urban mobility plan in 2022 suggested cycle feeder routes and junction improvements.{{Cite web |title=Istanbul's new Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan {{!}} Eltis |url=https://www.eltis.org/resources/case-studies/istanbuls-new-sustainable-urban-mobility-plan |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=www.eltis.org}}

Hatay claimed to have opened in 2020 the longest uninterrupted bike path in the world.{{Cite news |title=Turkey opens world's longest uninterrupted bike path |url=https://www.trtworld.com/life/turkey-opens-world-s-longest-uninterrupted-bike-path-38786 |access-date=2023-01-15 |work=TRT World|date=2020-08-10 |language=en}} Some of Turkey's bike paths have been integrated into the EuroVelo route network. The EV13 The Iron Curtain Trail follows {{convert|140|km|mi}} of the border with Bulgaria via Edirne. Around {{convert|500|km|mi}} of existing bike paths in İzmir were incorporated into the EV8 The Mediterranean Route in 2019.{{cite web |url=https://en.eurovelo.com/news/2019-11-26_european-cyclists-federation-approves-the-extension-of-eurovelo-8-mediterranean-route-in-izmir-turkey |title=European Cyclists' Federation approves the extension of EuroVelo 8 – Mediterranean Route in Izmir, Turkey |author=Florence Grégoire |publisher=Eurovelo |date=2019-11-26 |access-date=2023-02-03}}

File:Amasra 364.JPG]]

The governing organisation for cycle sport in Turkey is the Turkish Cycling Federation.{{Cite web |title=Türkiye Bisiklet Federasyonu |url=https://bisiklet.gov.tr/ |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=bisiklet.gov.tr}} There is a velodrome in Istanbul.{{Cite web |last=Türkiye |first=Cyclist |date=2019-05-31 |title=ANTRENMAN ROTASI: MALTEPE VELODROMU |url=https://www.cyclistmag.com.tr/2019/05/31/antrenman-rotasi-maltepe-velodromu/ |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=Cyclist Türkiye |language=tr}}

There are cycling festivals.{{Cite journal |last1=Kaya |first1=İsmet |last2=Erdoğan |first2=Gülcan Özyazıcı |date=2020-12-31 |title=The economic contribution of cycling festivals on tourism sector: A study on cycling festivals in Turkey |url=https://www.forcejournal.org/index.php/force/article/view/16 |journal=FORCE: Focus on Research in Contemporary Economics |language=en |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=103–118 |issn=2717-817X}} Dogs such as Kangal can be a problem in rural areas,{{Cite web |title=One Last Trip Through Kangal Country on Turkey's Elmalı Plateau – Ryan Wilson |url=https://theradavist.com/one-last-trip-through-kangal-country-on-turkeys-elmali-plateau/ |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=The Radavist |language=en-US}} and some recommend dismounting.{{Cite web |title=Turkish shepherd dogs come to French sheep's rescue |url=https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-shepherd-dogs-come-to-french-sheeps-rescue-132169 |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=Hürriyet Daily News |language=en}}

Fancy Women Bike Ride (Turkish: Süslü Kadinlar Bisiklet Turu ) was started by Sema Gur, a high school teacher from Turkey.{{cite web |title=Tokyo Olympics: Cyclist Masomah Ali Zada is a symbol of hope and inspiration |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/57994322 |access-date=29 March 2022 |website=BBC}} In 2013, three hundred women from Izmir, Turkey, participated in a Chic Women Bike Ride, which in subsequent years grew as an annual international event known as the Fancy Women Bike Ride on Car-Free Days.{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Ron |date=September 15, 2022 |title=Fancy Women Bike Ride celebrates 10 glorious years |url=https://momentummag.com/fancy-women-bike-ride-celebrates-10-glorious-years/ |access-date=February 10, 2023}} For the Fancy Women Bike Ride, women decorate their bikes and instead of wearing sporty biking gear, they dress and make themselves up as colorfully and fancifully as they like.

{{See also|Electric bicycle laws#Turkey}}

Bicycles include electric bicycles whose maximum continuous rated power does not exceed 250 W, whose power decreases as they accelerate, and whose power is completely cut off after reaching a maximum speed of 25 km/h or immediately after the pedaling is interrupted. To ride on a highway cyclists must be over 11 and physically and mentally healthy. All traffic rules apply to cyclists.{{Cite web |title=KARAYOLLARI TRAFİK KANUNU BİSİKLET İLE İLGİLİ MADDELER – Bisiklet Şefliği |url=https://bisiklet.ibb.istanbul/karayollari-trafik-kanununda-bisiklet-ile-ilgili-yasalar/ |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=bisiklet.ibb.istanbul}} Helmets are not obligatory.{{Cite journal |last1=Valero-Mora |first1=Pedro M. |last2=Shinar |first2=David |last3=Ledesma |first3=Rubén D. |last4=Tormo Lancero |first4=María Teresa |last5=Sánchez-García |first5=Mar |last6=Haworth |first6=Narelle |last7=Sanmartín |first7=Jaime |last8=Morandi |first8=Anna |last9=Ferraro |first9=Ottavia E. |last10=Saplioglu |first10=Meltem |last11=Otte |first11=Dietmar |date=2020-07-01 |title=Abiding by the law when it does not exist: The case of the helmet bicycle law |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136984782030406X |journal=Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour |language=en |volume=72 |pages=23–31 |doi=10.1016/j.trf.2020.04.010 |s2cid=219768232 |issn=1369-8478}}

• Women and bicycling in Islam

{{reflist}}

• [https://cycloscope.net/cycling-turkey Cycling Turkey: 13 bike touring routes & tips to enjoy Turkey on a bike]

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{Cycling in different countries and cities}}