[URBAN BEAT] Biking adventures in İstanbul

 One of the best things about biking in İstanbul is a sense of freedom and ease of movement. Sitting above the tops of most cars with an unobstructed view of the surroundings, you move fast enough to achieve scope while also getting a feel for the neighborhood. And if you like maps, biking allows you to see precisely how one neighborhood is connected to (or cut off from) the next. Furthermore, as a biker (particularly if you wear a helmet) you are something of a novelty, which makes it easy to stop and talk with people who are obviously curious. And the sea transportation system enables you to hop from one part of the city to another.

 Amateur triathlete Ulas Onol described a 102-kilometer tour from Göztepe, on the Asian side, to Kilyos, on the European shore of the Black Sea. “I raced down Minibus Street -- it was completely empty -- to Kadıköy,” said Onol, recalling the first moments of a day-long excursion. From there he took the ferry to Beşiktaş, joined some friends and rode to Kilyos, where the group paused for a swim. After lunch, Onol headed back alone, stopping in the hilltop village of Çeşme to enjoy a “magnificent Bosporus view.” Tarabya, Bebek, Arnavutköy, Ortaköy and finally Beşiktaş. “The next day I was not sore at all -- just a nice feeling of exhaustion,” said Onol.

 There is excitement in these stories of urban exploration, and they make İstanbul more humane and familiar. In a city that has grown and changed as fast as İstanbul, it's easy to feel lost. But these stories offer a chance to update one's mental map of the city, to understand better the lay of the land. “On a bike, you notice every incline, not so with walking,” another biker told me. Bikers sit above the traffic, free to look ahead, around and above. There is no better way to appreciate the full beauty of the Bosporus -- its color, the crooked course, the architecture -- than on top of a bike, moving easily with light weekday traffic.

Awareness of danger

Perhaps I'm foolish, but the chance to move with the traffic is exhilarating, particularly when so many experienced expat bikers -- some of them former couriers in London or Frankfurt -- tell me they would never ride in İstanbul's traffic. Indeed, some streets really are awful for bicyclists. One biker, describing a Sunday morning ride along Büyükdere Caddesi, told me, “I now know that you can't bike everywhere in İstanbul.” “The part between Levent and Maslak was horrible,” he added. “It was torture.” Büyükdere provides the most direct route to the forest, and ideally it should serve the needs of cyclists and pedestrians as well as cars.

As cycling expert Ozan Bozkurt says, “Riding on İstanbul streets is fun, exciting and sometimes dangerous.” Some cars pass rather close for comfort, others honk excessively, which can surprise bikers and break their concentration. But Bozkurt believes that in general drivers' behavior toward cyclists has improved in recent years. Depending on where and how you bike, you may even find drivers to be more civilized toward cyclists than toward pedestrians. The ability to move swiftly is a nice change from crowded sidewalks.

If you ride on the street, which is the proper place for bicycles, it's important to follow the same rules as cars. “I always stop at red lights,” says Bozkurt. “It signals to drivers that I obey the rules, so they show more respect.” Furthermore, “As long as you follow the rules,” he says, “biking on roads is easier and safer than on sidewalks.” Bozkurt, who is part-owner of Bike and Outdoor in Beşiktaş, offers the following tips for anyone biking on İstanbul's streets: Follow normal traffic rules. (Move with traffic, stop at red lights, signal before turning or changing lanes, etc.) Always wear a helmet. Use front and rear lights when biking at night. Wear bright colors. Do not ride close to the edge of the road. Leave ample distance (at least 30 centimeters) to the right, and be wary of car doors that may open suddenly. Make sure drivers can anticipate your movement (signal if turning or moving to the left, e.g., to pass a bus or dolmus.) Use sunglasses to maximize vision. Do not use earphones.

 In some areas, including the Golden Horn, dogs can be a problem. Bozkurt explains, “Dogs chase wheels, and if the wheels stop, the dog stops.” “Speak in a calm and soothing voice,” he advises, “and use words like kızım, oğlum or yavrum -- the words of a master.” “The most important thing is the tone,” adds Bozkurt, “because a loud tone can encourage aggressive instincts.” And remember: do not make eye contact with the dog, and do not show your teeth (even by smiling). Bozkurt admits that it takes courage to stop and speak to dogs, but if you try to escape, you may not be able to go fast enough to escape. One option is to carry a dog whistle or “stun gun” that emits ultrasonic waves.