Kalkan Turkey Forum - EnjoyKalkan.com
Kalkan Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Pushkin on August 17, 2009, 02:34:14 PM
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We will be in Kalkan from October 10th but are dithering as to whether we should hire a car or use local transport. I have seen reference to green buses on the website. Can anyone tell me if public transport is reliable and if it is frequent in October ... also is it easy to go off for the day by PT to Marmaris/ Fethiye etc?
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Hi Pushkin,
This is not what you have asked, but another option..........we always have a hire car waiting for us at the airport, then drive ourselves to kalkan, really easy, just 3 right turns and 1 bear right, and drive back to the air port and leave the car there.......a return transfer for 4 people is approx £140, plus if like me, £10 tip each way so total cost £160ish......you can hire a car for £22 per day, so no need for buses, and the luxury of having a car for the whole of your trip.....for me a no brainer ??? Hope this helps, you are all in for a fantastic holiday, you lucky things ;D........LoveKalkan.
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In all the years I've visited Kalkan I've never hired a car but still managed to get out and about either by Dolmus, coach or boat so a car isn't essential. However I'm getting to the stage of thinking about hiring a car but am a bit of a coward so can anyone be absolutely honest and tell me what it's really like to drive out there. I drive a lot in my job but don't actually enjoy driving that much and can get a bit panicky if I think I'm getting lost :-[ Would anyone dare me to "go for it"
Oh and back on topic Pushkin it's very easy to get to Fethiye by coach, not sure about Marmaris though but maybe someone else can advise.
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Driving in Turkey / Kalkan is a breeze, go for it for a change, it gives you loads of freedom to explore local villages etc .....Good luck, and don't worry, your be fine, just drive at a speed that suits you ;D >:D ;D
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I drive in Kalkan every day and have driven many thousands of miles all over Turkey but I am never ever complacent. Turkey has an extremely high road traffic accident rate particularly in comparison to the UK and a very high road death rate.
We have had three minor accidents in the village in the past 3 weeks all whilst my husband, a very experienced driver has been at the wheel.
In Kalkan there are far too many cars for the size of the village. There is uncontrolled parking blocking many roads and creating hazards. This is resulting in a huge increase in the number of minor accidents in the village,
approx a dozen a day according to a local source.
In six years, four close friends here have been killed in traffic accidents.
Hiring a car is a wonderful option, it gives you great freedom but remember that the rules of the road are quite different here, for example, a car flashing its lights at you does not mean proceed, it means stop, quite an important difference. If you are turning left and there is oncoming traffic you pull to the side of the road , not the shoulder to wait for a gap and cars on your side of the road will continue to pass you. You don't make the turn until both sides of the road are clear.
We know people here on holiday who had a very serious accident just outside Dalaman as they were returning to the UK because they were unaware of this particular road rule.
The majority of other drivers you will encounter will not signal or obey traffic laws. So be prepared for everything.
There is no reason not to drive here but do take far more care than you would normally. Only one car in ten stops at Kalkan's traffic lights when they are red!
lantana
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Thanks Lantana for some very good advice. We'll certainly be more vigilant should we hire a car/scooter in future.
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Lantana this may be slightly off topic but you like a lot of residents appreciate that the traffic problem in Kalkan is getting significantly worse
You read on EK that it is much more advantageous for people to hire a car for their stay, rather than have transfers, but all this is doing is exasperating the traffic problem as these cars are then used to come into the village for shopping etc and parking is at a premium
It is made worse by shops, restaurants etc putting signage etc on the road in front of their premises which again reduces the spaces available [do you know if this is legal by the way?]
Do you know if the Belediye have any plans to alleviate these problems?
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I think it is the cost of taxis that is driving the increasing use of hire cars. Despite being under a mile form the centre of Kalkan, most all of the guests in our villa now hire a car for their stay, they save the cost of the car in taxi fares in and out of town (£9 round trip) and then effectively have it for free for longer trips
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Oh, no!!! I can feel another "Groundhog Day" gathering..........arrrrrrgh!