Manavgat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MATSO) President Seydi Tahsin Güngör stated that the D-400 highway between Manavgat and Antalya could not handle the current traffic and that long vehicle queues were formed on the roads. Mayor Güngör emphasized that long queues in traffic, which cause public time and economic loss due to long vehicle queues, also affect the quality of tourists coming to the region, and said, “Our people and members suffer both time loss and economic loss due to long queues in traffic. One of the most important problems of tourism, which is one of the most important sectors of the regional economy, is the transportation problem experienced when transferring incoming tourists. "We are receiving complaints that the D-400 highway can no longer handle the traffic congestion and that a lot of time is wasted while picking up tourists from the airport and placing them in hotels," he said. Mayor Güngör pointed out that tourist groups with high purchasing power prefer other countries due to transportation problems.
UNNECESSARY WASTE OF TIME
Mayor Güngör said, “Tourists come to our country from their countries within a few hours. Transfers from the airport to the hotel they will stay in take longer than arriving from their country to Antalya. When marketing accommodation facilities abroad, agencies provide information about the distance between the hotel where you will stay and the airport. They give approximate times for the time they will spend in traffic during the transfer. This information is very important in determining which country tourists will choose. In high season, getting from the airport to the hotel becomes a torture for tourists. At the same time, in order to make up for the time spent on the road, vehicles exceed the speed limit and unwanted accidents occur. This congestion has turned into a security problem. "One of the most important factors why high-quality tourists with high purchasing power choose other countries is the unnecessary loss of time during transfer," he said.
ALTERNATIVES FOR D1 SHOULD BE PRODUCED IN MANAVGAT, WHICH HAS A POPULATION APPROACHING 400 MILLION DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS
Stating that this problem can be solved by connecting the existing tourism avenues and implementing the highway, expressway or northern ring road project, Mayor Güngör said: “The population of Manavgat is approaching 1 million with the density of tourists and summer residents coming to the region in the summer months. The D 400 highway, which is insufficient during the winter months, increases the traffic density in Manavgat during the summer months with summer residents and tourists. In order to solve this problem, improvements should be made urgently on the D400 highway in the short term. "At many points it has collapsed or an overpass must be built," he said.
TOURISM ROAD SHOULD BE COMPLETED URGENTLY
In order to relieve the burden of the D-400 highway, the traffic congestion can be prevented to some extent by connecting the existing tourism streets in tourism centers. The tourism road from Gündoğdu District to Boğazkent District of Serik district and Titreyen Lake-Kızılağaç must be connected to each other. "If we want quality tourists, we must complete our deficiencies arising from the infrastructure," he said.
A HIGHWAY, HIGHWAY OR NORTHERN RING ROAD SHOULD BE BUILT IN THE NORTH.
Referring to the need to open a highway, expressway or northern ring road in the north, Mayor Güngör said, "A highway, expressway or northern ring road project must be implemented urgently for the future of the region."
TRAM LINE SHOULD BE EXTENDED FROM ANTALYA TO GAZİPAŞA
Mayor Güngör said, "The tram line from Antalya to Aksu should be extended to Gazipaşa, passing through Manavgat and Alanya, in order to ease the traffic in the region."
FAST TRAIN SHOULD COME TO THE REGION
Stating that the high-speed train should be brought to the region, covering Antalya, Manavgat and Alanya, Mayor Güngör also said that this high-speed train line should be connected from the region to Central Anatolia.