The other day, as I was passing through one of my homeland’s seemingly endless roundabouts, a question came to mind: “I wonder how this roundabout thing got started?”
Could it have happened like this?
One day, two architect friends are on their way somewhere when they come to a four-way intersection and notice that vehicles are causing a traffic jam as they cross the road. The lack of a traffic signal system at that intersection is actually the main reason for the congestion, and the two architect friends start thinking about how they can deal with the situation...
The question on their minds is: “How can we ease traffic on this road without a traffic signal system?”
At that moment, their university years come back to them, and they start brainstorming...
“I think we should build a square island here. It would ease traffic, and it would look nice, too.”
“Oh, come on! What next? Maybe we should make it a rectangle. (Hehehe.) I think an ellipse would be the nicest shape! Because our world is elliptical, too, and it sits quite beautifully in the universe... My dear world...”
“Hmm. An oval could work, too. Imagine an oval island! We could even put a pool inside... The children could get in and play, relax, and cool off...”
“Looks like the best thing is to make it a circle after all!”
“Of course! Let’s make it circular! The vehicles can keep going round and round... That way, pedestrians won’t get bored while looking at the road.”
“Okay. Fine. We’ll make it circular. Let’s start construction... Come on, bismillah...”
I don’t know how the idea of putting roundabouts at intersections came about, but I’m sure our road authorities love them. So much so that we put roundabouts almost everywhere.
Personally, I’m in favor of having roundabouts, but perhaps we’ve gone a little overboard.
Yes, compared with traffic signals, roundabouts make traffic flow more smoothly and, if placed in the right locations, they also keep speeds down!
But I don’t understand the logic of installing both a roundabout and a traffic signal system in the same place! (The roundabout in front of Gönyeli Çağaloğlu Petrol is probably the best example of this.)
Meanwhile, I’m waiting with curiosity and longing for the roundabout right next to Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital, which has been under construction for days, to be finished... Given how much we love building roundabouts, I don’t understand why this one is taking so long!
On the other hand, there are roundabouts in places where having an accident is all too easy!
The roundabouts on the Güzelyurt–Nicosia main road are practically an invitation to accidents.
I haven’t forgotten our “beautiful” roundabouts on the Nicosia–Famagusta main road, either.
What’s more, I don’t know whether we have thoroughly discussed just how safe roundabouts like these on main roads really are. All I know is that my friends often complain about these roundabouts, and that they pose a serious danger to drivers who are even a little inattentive!
To say that “roundabouts are the only thing putting our road safety at risk” is tantamount to being blind. It is a fact that all the necessary safety measures have not been taken on our country’s roads...
Given the state of road safety in my country, I must say I find it strange that “road safety” has become a subject of debate because of the “monument” erected at the roundabout in the Kermiya area.
And I want to ask:
Is road safety really your main concern?
Or is it that Atatürk is depicted on the monument, or that he is holding a sword?
Or is your problem with the institution or institutions that erected the monument there?
On the other hand, when criticizing those who oppose the monument being erected there, how much do you actually listen to what they say?
Do our words reflect our true purpose?
Or are we making excuses to achieve our aims?
We have become so blind that even in such a simple debate, intolerance manifests itself in labels like “Greek-Cypriot sympathizer,” “pro-Turkish,” “pro-military,” and so on—and we don’t even realize it...
This culture of labeling and stigmatizing, in turn, erodes our culture of debate and causes us to wear down our institutions, our democracy, and one another. (Anyway, that’s a topic for another day...)
The monument is being inaugurated today. As far as I’m concerned, put all your concerns and excuses about the monument aside!
Express your thoughts not with excuses and labels, but with your pure feelings...
Hope to see you on Tuesday...
Pay attention to your surroundings, keep them clean, and be courteous in traffic!