Cycling in Turkey
Cycling in Turkey is held back by poor infrastructure. It is sometimes done for health reasons, and infrastructure is being improved. The World Health Organization has called for transport in Turkey to include more active transport such as cycling.
History
At first the Ottomans cycled for transport and later also for sport. The army used bicycles. Many women in Turkey cycled, and cycling helped the feminist movement towards the end of the Ottoman Empire. 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.
Utility cycling
A 2019 survey of Turkish college students found that 10 percent of cyclists wear a bike helmet. Respondents to a 2018 survey in Isparta said that Accident Prone Areas were the most important factor for integration with public transport. 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.Policy and manufacturing
The Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change has published a guide for cycle paths. There is not much data available to help plan where bicycle routes should go.Infrastructure
In 2019 a new regulation on cycle paths was issued, but according to a 2020 study cities are not bike friendly. Cycle paths are sometimes not well connected. In 2021 a bicycle route master plan was published.Suggestions have been made for Istanbul. Improvements were made in Istanbul during the COVID-19 pandemic. Locations close to shorelines are thought to be best for bike sharing stations. Konya has the most bike lanes with over. Bikes are allowed on the Istanbul metro outside peak hours and if folded at any time. The city's sustainable urban mobility plan in 2022 suggested cycle feeder routes and junction improvements.
Hatay claimed to have opened in 2020 the longest uninterrupted bike path in the world. Some of Turkey's bike paths have been integrated into the EuroVelo route network. The EV13 The Iron Curtain Trail follows of the border with Bulgaria via Edirne. Around of existing bike paths in İzmir were incorporated into the EV8 The Mediterranean Route in 2019.
For sport and recreation
The governing organisation for cycle sport in Turkey is the Turkish Cycling Federation. There is a velodrome in Istanbul.There are cycling festivals. Dogs such as Kangal can be a problem in rural areas, and some recommend dismounting.