Different Working Hours and Separate Lane Use Suggestion from IMM Scientific Committee

The IMM Scientific Advisory Board warned that the intensity of public transportation will increase the epidemic. Drawing attention to the fact that the duration and intensity of contact will increase the risk of transmission, the Board has proposed different working hours and separate lane applications in addition to the measures taken by the Istanbul Governorship.

Reminding that new searches for the solution of the transportation problem have been introduced all over the world after the Covid-19 Pandemic, the IMM Scientific Advisory Board noted that the city life and travel behaviors should be reshaped at the stage when the epidemic began to be absorbed.

The number of daily passengers in Istanbul is 7-8 million in public transportation; Noting that minibuses, taxis, minibuses and service vehicles are added, the Board underlined that the density in transportation is mostly experienced at the beginning and end of working hours.

CONTACT TIME AND INTENSITY INCREASES COMMUNICATION

Emphasizing that it will not be possible to maintain appropriate social distance conditions in public transport, even though it is thought that 15 percent of passengers will prefer their personal vehicles during the reopening process, the Board warned the following on the issue:

“While the high number of passengers increases the intensity of contact, the contact time also increases due to the long periods spent in the vehicle due to heavy traffic. Contact density, inability to maintain physical distance, and length of contact are important factors that lead to a high risk of contamination. "

DIFFERENT BUSINESS TIME AND SEPARATE STRIP PROPOSAL

Stating that they want to draw attention to the two important measures they have done before, the Board repeated the proposals to apply different working hours and separate lanes in addition to the measures taken by the Istanbul Governorship. Stating that they believe that these two measures will reduce the risk of contamination in public transport, the Board made the following statement:

“Our first suggestion is to practice different working hours. The number of passengers and traffic density in vehicles will be significantly reduced by differently arranging the starting and ending times of daily work in various public and private institutions. This measure is successfully implemented in many European countries, even under normal conditions. Our second recommendation is the separate strip application. During peak times, on highways on busy routes, one lane should only be allocated to public transportation vehicles. Strict control of this practice by the public administration will also reduce the contact time of passengers in public transport and provide significant transmission control. In addition to the other measures taken, we hereby submit for your information that these two measures should be on the agenda until the epidemic is completely over. "