Istanbul traffic is infamous, all over the world and oh, my, there are a few good reasons for this. Having lived in the city for 6 months now, I have just about learnt not to expect that vehicles will stop at red lights. I am still learning that the pavement is not reserved for pedestrians – the odd moped will appear out of the blue as you begin to relax, thinking you’re safe in your own pedestrian world.
Today was a beautiful day and my friends and I were walking in Beşiktaş, just behind Çırağan Palace, along a tree-lined, three-lane road, when we saw this sign:
I would have walked past this sign completely unimpressed if it weren’t for one of my friends who provided the following interpretation:
7:00 to 10:00 hrs – two lanes of south-bound traffic and one lane of north-bound traffic
17:00 to 20:00 hrs – two lanes of north-bound traffic and one lane of south-bound traffic
Other hours: one lane of south-bound and one lane of north-bound traffic. Middle lane: do as you please, mix and match, go whichever way you want.
It’s a wonderful sign. I have never seen quite so much flexibility in the world of traffic control.
Watch this space for more strange sign stories – coming up soon…
Purple Travel Path 