In both Istanbul and Izmir we were fortunate enough to meet with a vice mayor and the mayor, respectively. The vice mayor of Zeytinburnu, a wealthier district in Istanbul, did not have much to say about public transportation. He simply said that the district is fortunate geographically; it benefitted from the red line to the airport and Marmaray line under the Bosphorus. In contrast, the Izmir mayor, Aziz Kocaoğlu, was very excited about public transportation in his city. He announced that just a few hours prior to our meeting he had signed a contract purchasing eighty-five new subway wagons. In 2004 when he took office, the rail system was only 11km long and he plans that in the next few years it will reach a total of 186km. Already under construction is 100km of subway. Additionally, he said that there would be commuter rail out to the surrounding commuter suburbs. This was a notable difference compared to the response of the Istanbul Ulasim man who when asked about the possibility of commuter rail responded in a politically correct way (although perhaps mockingly so) that even with the third bridge there will be no new communities that would need commuter rail. Kocaoğlu was also pleased to say more ferries would be added for both cars and people and that all current bus lines had been renewed. Moreover, before I even asked my question the mayor had already mentioned the cities sustainability and his wishes to choose expansion of the subway over buses. I had also noticed that there was a bike share program along the coast that looked both well maintained and well used (although this could arguably be more for tourists than a part of a functional transportation system). Thus, it was obvious that he took the improvement of transportation in the city to be an important issue for moving forward. That being said, Izmir is not the monstrosity that is Istanbul, nor is it as hilly, both of which must make it easier to service. Furthermore, it is a more liberal city and as Kocaoğlu said, the central government in Ankara generally leaves them alone.
