"Traffic Action Plan" Signed with the TRNC

UYGAR (Transportation Application and Research Center) signed the "Project Roadmap" protocol on the "Traffic Action Plan" with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on 30 November 2012.

The Bahçeşehir University UYGAR (Transportation Application and Research) Center signed the final protocol setting out the "roadmap" with the TRNC Ministry of Public Works and Transport to provide consultancy to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on the "standardization, geometric design and traffic safety of highways". Following the "Traffic Safety" draft agreement, on which UYGAR has been working in practice since June 2012, the final Protocol was signed on 30 November 2012.

The protocol, held at 10:00 on 30 November 2012 at the Office of the President of our university, was signed by Bahçeşehir University President Prof. Dr. Şenay Yalçın and TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transport Hamza Ersan Saner, while TRNC Ministry of Public Works and TransportUndersecretary Dr. Suat Yeldener,UYGAR Head Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ilıcalı, UYGAR Project Coordinator Assist. Prof. Dr. Nilgün Camkesen, the UYGAR Team, Vice President Prof. Dr. Ali Güngör, Vice President Prof. Dr. Hasan ŞİMŞEK and the relevant undersecretaries were also present at the ceremony.

While the press of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus showed great interest in the signing ceremony, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Ilıcalı addressed the importance of the project and spoke about the vital importance of "academia-public-private sector" cooperation in this field. Ilıcalı also stated that the "Master's Program in Urban Systems and Transportation Management" carried out by UYGAR fills a very important gap in this sense, that they provide full-scholarship education to municipal employees, that they have taught more than 400 students and that they have begun to produce a significant number of graduates over the last 2 semesters.

President Prof. Dr. Şenay Yalçın stated that an "educated population" is the driving force and pioneer of a society, that the content of this "education" is decisive, and that "countries with very small populations" can produce very great value depending on the quality of the education provided. Noting that the proportion of university graduates in the TRNC is very high and that, if this is well directed, the TRNC can make significant investments in a short time, she stated that they are open to all kinds of cooperation opportunities with the "Babyland" in this regard.

TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transport Hamza Ersan Saner said that they had received their university education in Türkiye and had observed significant developments in terms of "mentality" since then, adding that in recent years they have made significant investments and breakthroughs, especially in "Highways", relative to the scale of the TRNC. Saner thus noted that a visible improvement had been recorded and set out their efforts to build "continuity" in this on solid foundations. Minister SANER also recalled that they receive significant economic and other support from Türkiye in every field.