Illegal parking slows Istanbul ambulance response

ISTANBUL

An ambulance makes its way through traffic in Istanbul. (AA Photo)

Heavy traffic, narrow streets and illegal parking severely delay emergency response times across Istanbul, pushing them above the city average in historic districts like Fatih and Beyoğlu, Provincial Ambulance Service Chief Physician Dr. Murat Lafçı has warned.

The city operates 238 emergency stations on the European side and 141 on the Asian side, plus six mobile teams. The service handles 2,500 to 3,000 cases and nearly 500 interhospital transfers daily. Command center personnel assess 112 calls and dispatch the nearest team via tablet, he said.

Urban response times average 8 to 8.5 minutes while rural areas see 13 to 15 minutes, Lafçı said, noting helicopters are deployed for rural cases that are hard to access by road.

A 2026 analysis found above-average response delays in Fatih neighborhoods like Sultanahmet, Nişanca and Tahtakale, as well as Kulaksız and Kılıçali Paşa in Beyoğlu, he added.

Drivers must keep ambulance routes clear when parking, he said. Health Ministry public information campaigns have improved compliance with the “zipper system,” in which motorists yield lanes to ambulances.

Calls seeking locksmiths or help with broken phones have declined since Türkiye launched a joint 112 system for health, police and fire services in 2021. People are more careful about calling 112, though a few baseless calls persist, he said.

Istanbul, a metropolis of over 15 million residents, frequently grapples with severe gridlock. Centuries-old urban planning complicates modern emergency logistics.