Two days ahead of local elections, ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) mayoral candidate Murat Kurum has promised a "trouble-free" Istanbul as he unveiled a two-phase plan meant to take "quick and firm steps" for Türkiye’s largest metropolitan city.

"We will start realizing our projects as soon as we come to office because Istanbul has regressed in the past five years," Kurum told a conference promoting his six-month and one-year emergency action plans in Istanbul on Thursday.

Kurum is challenging the main opposition, Republican People's Party’s (CHP) incumbent Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, for the town hall, who has come under fire for increasing incidents, accidents and breakdowns in public transportation affiliated with his office, such as vehicles not properly maintained, leading to delays in bus schedules. He has been criticized for failing to produce any tangible improvements in earthquake-prone Istanbul’s urban transformation and not helming crisis management in the city during times of chaos, such as a massive snowstorm in the past years and floods.

Urban transformation

Touting the input and supervision of scientists in his planned projects, Kurum assured his office would "immediately" start the promised removal of all buildings at risk of damage and the construction of some 650,000 housing units instead of old buildings that cannot endure disasters across 39 districts of Istanbul.

Experts often warn that Istanbul will likely experience a major earthquake in the coming years as it is located near major fault lines. The issue of disaster-resistant construction has particularly come to the fore following last year’s twin earthquakes that killed over 53,000 and leveled thousands of buildings in Türkiye’s 11 southern provinces.

Kurum relies on his experience in post-disaster reconstruction, having overseen the rebuilding of cities after floods and earthquakes in the past.

The mayor-hopeful also assured that they would begin accepting applications "right away" on April 15 for the construction of some 300,000 units. Half of these will be paid for by KIPTAŞ – a subsidiary of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) – with TL 700,000 ($22,770) in grants for owners and another TL 700,000 for a loan per house.

Traffic jams

Turning to Istanbul’s notorious traffic problem, Kurum pledged to "end this woe with more detailed solutions."

"In the first six months, we are starting to construct 260 kilometers (161.5 miles) of main highways and side roads, as well as 45 intersections," he said, assuring that these would be completed within a year.

"Once all these metro, tunnel, road and intersection projects are completed, we will move all the traffic congestion in Istanbul’s central arteries underground, spread it across alternative routes, and let our people breathe," Kurum said.

Istanbulites annually lose 288 hours in traffic, which Kurum said he would reduce from 64% to 59% if he wins.

Metro lines

Under Kurum, Istanbul's metro network, too, would be extended from its current 328 kilometers (204 miles) to 650 kilometers by 2029 and ultimately 1,004 kilometers by 2034.

Kurum is also looking to relocate two major bus terminals to the peripheries of Istanbul to ease intracity traffic, extend the Metrobus line system that currently runs from far-flung Beylikdüzü on the European side to Kadıköy on the Asian side, and construct a parking lot that can accommodate up to 250,000 vehicles, with a 25% discount on fees.

He said he would open the 5.6-kilometer Samandıra-Sultanbeyli metro line on the Asian side "within the first year."

"Meaning, by building this 40-kilometer line immediately, we will have accomplished in a year what the current administration couldn’t do in the past five years," Kurum said.

He pledged to start groundwork in the following six months on a 21.3-kilometer tramway line from Üsküdar to Maltepe, another 3.1-kilometer tramway route from Eyüp Sultan to Bayrampaşa, as well as the railway system from Samandıra to Istanbul Airport, which would extend for a staggering 62.4 kilometers across the two sides of the city.

Taxi woes

As for another notorious Istanbul problem, Kurum vowed to solve the taxi shortage problem within six months "in a way that will benefit our citizens and laborers."

"We will end the hydra-headed system by uniting all digital applications under one roof. We will make a brand called Istanbul Taxi," Kurum said.

One of the most prevalent issues reported by customers and commuters in Istanbul is the difficulty in finding available taxis. They often complain of drivers "choosing passengers and distance" according to their convenience.