The Closing Ceremony of the “Public
Transportation Gets Smarter in Denizli” Project, co-financed
with the EU within the framework of the Sectoral Operational Programme for
Transport (USOP) managed by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, was held on 28 November
2025 in Denizli with broad participation, including academics from Pamukkale
University, Istanbul Technical University, Delft University of Technology and
Antwerp University. The event brought together representatives of the Final
Beneficiary Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, officials from the Ministry of
Transport and Infrastructure, the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye,
the Contractor and consortium partners, as well as public institutions,
universities, non-governmental organisations and citizens.
In the opening session, Secretary General of
Denizli Metropolitan Municipality Bülent Bozbaş and Mayor of Denizli
Metropolitan Municipality Bülent Nuri Çavuşoğlu underlined the importance of
the project for the city and highlighted its contribution to making public
transport safer, more accessible and more environmentally friendly.
Subsequently, Head of Department for EU of the Ministry of Transport and
Infrastructure Adem Koç and Programme Manager at the Delegation of the European
Union to Türkiye Akif Türkel emphasised the strategic importance of transport
projects implemented under the EU–Türkiye financial cooperation and assessed
the project’s alignment with the objectives of the Transport Sectoral
Operational Programme.
In the technical session, Team Leader Veysel
Sarıcı and experts presented the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Plan
developed within the scope of the project, together with information on the
installation of on-board passenger information systems, deployment of smart bus
stops, development of Traffic Management Centre components, data-driven
analysis and modelling activities and training and capacity-building actions to
strengthen institutional capabilities. It was underlined that the ITS Plan
provides a framework that supports Denizli’s long-term mobility objectives and
promotes data-driven decision-making processes.
In the afternoon, a panel entitled “Integration
of Intelligent Transport Systems into Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans” was
organised. The panel was moderated by Ahmet Dağdelen, EU Expert and Contract
Manager at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. The panel featured:
- Akif Türkel, Programme Manager at the Delegation of the European
Union to Türkiye,
- Dr. Bas Govers from Goudappel,
- Prof. Dr. Dirk Lauwers from Antwerp University,
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Görkem Gülhan from Pamukkale University,
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Onur Tezcan from Istanbul Technical
University,
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Niels van Oort from Delft University of Technology
(TU Delft),
- Ömer Şeker, Expert at the Presidency of Strategy and Budget,
During the panel, the speakers discussed the
integration of ITS solutions into Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, data-driven
planning, high-capacity public transport corridors, walking and
cycling-oriented mobility, road safety, parking management and the resilience
of the urban transport network. Contributions by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Onur
Tezcan and Ömer ŞEKER particularly focused on how the ITS Plan and Denizli SUMP
jointly support the city’s vision of becoming a people-oriented, liveable, safe
and innovative Denizli. At the end of the panel, the
Project Contract Manager and panel moderator, Ahmet DAĞDELEN, expressed, as a
native of Denizli, his satisfaction with the successful and timely completion
of the project and stated that they expect it to make a significant
contribution to Denizli’s transportation planning.
One of the key focus areas of the event was the
Denizli Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (Denizli SUMP). It was highlighted that
Denizli SUMP is the first sustainable urban mobility plan in Türkiye prepared
by a municipality using its own institutional capacity and expert staff. The
Plan sets out a 2040-oriented roadmap for promoting walking and cycling,
enhancing the attractiveness of public transport, scaling up smart mobility
technologies and reducing environmental impacts.
In the closing remarks, it was underlined that
the experience gained through the project and the outputs of the ITS Plan and
Denizli SUMP constitute a valuable good practice for other transport projects
implemented in Türkiye and for local authorities developing sustainable
mobility policies. It was emphasised that the “Public Transportation Gets
Smarter in Denizli” Project, together with its ITS and planning outputs,
contributes significantly to the dissemination of sustainable and smart urban
mobility approaches across the country.