Voices columnist Glenn Maffia

IT HAS been so very obvious that the parking restrictions in and around Main Beach has been a triumphal success in reducing the number of vehicles congregating there. Once again it is a feather in the cap of Deniz Atabay’s Belediye.

Though, naturally enough, it has been only a half thought-out scheme. For Turkish tourists, especially, desire the grand sweep of sand and, for the younger and more commercially-influenced, the noisy throbbing night-life, where they can pretend they are in Ibiza, or somewhere as hedonistic as that. Delightful little cherubs they be!

Hence, quite predictably given the Turkish reticence to pay a parking fee (after driving a distance of inestimable cost) they pile onto the dolmus. Sun umbrellas, rolled up beach mats, all manner of plastic flotilla (fully inflated) and child buggies galore.

The lira lights are certainly on in the dolmus driver’s mind, cram as many on as you can. “Oh forget the law of being over laden; the police never do anything this time of year”. Nor on market days if I may add.

I am waiting for one accident to occur in a tragedy of carnage for the authorities to start pointing fingers at those whom they have ignored all year long. You know it will happen. Didim is a place where an accident is always waiting to happen.

While as for the Belediye, why don’t you introduce more buses during the holiday season?

For a friend of mine who lives in Nazilli tells me that their Belediye insist the dolmus routes are served every five minutes.

I think that would certainly ease the passenger congestion significantly, distribute the financial rewards more evenly and decrease the prospect of a tragic drama which could all but end Didim’s ambitions of being an international holiday resort.

What is the matter with those in authority, are they engrossed in their own self-importance that they no longer see? Probably not, if they are being driven around in chauffeured courtesy cars.

Try getting on a dolmus and see how your nationalistic or socialist principles adhere to that shuddering and claustrophobic experience. You may well tell, immediately, the driver to stop using his mobile phone!

We need more dolmus services even in winter. Adnan Menderes Bulvari, I am told, will be forthcoming to a regular dolmus route, though why are the people of Ege Caddesi being ignored?

Kipa, being a multinational company, no doubt insisted upon a dolmus connection.

But it is only being served one way, from the beach front only, and then you have to get two buses to get back where you came from!?!?

Really, if you cannot work out a simple dolmus service for a small town, though absolutely hectic in summer, one can only but wonder at your intellectual capacity.

“Voices” did ask Didim Belediye for a map of the town back in March for the purpose of me drawing London Underground style map of the bus routes. Nothing has as yet been forthcoming.