Cycling in Turkey has witnessed a recent revival as the government spearheads a campaign for healthy lifestyles. But one significant obstacle remains: Suitable lanes for cyclists who complain of dangerous roads. To address the problem and encouraged by government incentives, metropolitan municipalities unveiled plans to build more dedicated lanes for bicycles.

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality plans to add 1,050 kilometers to existing bike lanes, which currently totals 79 kilometers, in the city where roads clogged by heavy traffic hinders widespread bicycle use. Apart from extending existing routes, new routes will be introduced, such as a 6.5-kilometer-long lane in Sarıyer district on the European side, which will stretch from the exit of the metro station to Belgrade Forest. Istanbul's European side has bicycle lanes in several districts including Bakırköy, Zeytinburnu and Fatih whose total length is 19.7 kilometers - significantly shorter than the 59.6 kilometers of bicycle lanes on the Asian side.

Emin Müftüoğlu, the head of the Turkish Cycling Federation, said more bicycle lanes are needed in Turkey and he appreciates the efforts being made by municipalities. "Municipalities should definitely include building bicycle lanes while planning urban development projects and modify existing roads to include special lanes for cyclists," he told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Compared to other countries, cycling in Turkey is still not ingrained into daily life, according to statistics. Annual bicycle sales hover at around 1.3 million in Turkey, a country of 77 million people.

Konya, a big city located in the heart of Turkey's flatlands, boasts about having a large number of bicycles - 800,000 - in comparison to a population slightly above 1 million. The city has bicycle lanes totaling 300 kilometers in length and aims to increase it to 1,000 kilometers. According to figures, every household has two bicycles though bicycle use still makes up only a small fraction of transportation means in the city. The municipality also offers rental bike services to the public in 40 locations to encourage biking.

Cycling is a highlight of campaigns to battle obesity and promote physical activity. According to the results of the 2014 Turkish Health Survey by a state-run statistics agency, the percentage of obese individuals was 19.9. As part of a joint project between the National Education Ministry and the Health Ministry, bicycles are now offered to middle school students enrolled in the bicycle module in elective sports and physical education courses. The government had already delivered tens of thousands of bicycles to schools. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, known for his efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle during his tenure as prime minister, especially with his fight against smoking, champions the new campaign to promote bicycle use. Erdoğan said last week the government will deliver 40,000 bicycles by the end of the year with a total of 1 million bicycles delivered to schools and municipalities by 2018. Municipalities will be supplied with bicycles in exchange for constructing bicycle lanes.

The president said he would personally inspect bicycle lanes in cities he visited and would instruct mayors to construct the lanes if there are none. "We should abandon the mindset that cycling is a hobby only and should view it as a means of transportation," Erdoğan once said at an event to promote cycling.