Ankara Mayor Meli Gökçek backed down from asking whether alcohol sales in the area's restaurants should be allowed when his announcement of the idea was met with a strong backlash.In yesterday's poll residents expressed their opinion on whether Bahçelievler's 7. Cadde should be closed to vehicle traffic at 12 computerized poll stations. In addition, 22 voting booths were placed in a vacant space across from a gas station at the entrance of the street. The results were not available by the time Today's Zaman had gone to press. There were 12 questions on the poll, and a total of 2,745 home and business owners on 7. Cadde and 22 smaller streets around it voted.
In addition to the question about closing the street to traffic, the poll also asked whether the street should be closed to traffic only at certain times, asking which times would be best; if the voter's building had a private parking lot; if some of the streets should be equipped with speed bumps in the case of allowing vehicle traffic on 7. Cadde; if it would be a good idea to revamp the street's landscape design; if there should be weekend activities on 7. Cadde in the event of the street's closure to traffic; if there should be music broadcast on the street; if there should be more bank branches on the street in the case of closure; and if there should be any new facilities (the options being a textbook sales area for students, an art area for artists, an area allowing representatives of Ankara embassies to give information about their countries, a shoe store zone and an electronics stores zone) established in the part of 7. Cadde known as the Rainbow Recreational Zone.
