West of the Karaoğlanoğlu roundabout, the Alsancak Coastal Road presents a visual contradiction. The carriageway appears open. The horizon extends cleanly. The sea line remains visible.

Yet functional density increases within seconds.

Drivers exiting the roundabout often complete their acceleration phase before processing the commercial clustering ahead. Speed rebuild occurs in the visual gap between the exit curve and the first active retail frontage.

This rebuild is subtle. It is not reckless acceleration. It is normalization.

Time pattern: 16:00–18:30 weekdays. Secondary pattern: 10:30–13:00 Saturdays.

In these windows, westbound vehicles leave circular flow and increase speed toward what feels like an uninterrupted coastal segment. However, within 150 to 300 meters, fuel stations, supermarket entrances, pharmacy forecourts, and apartment driveways begin to activate.

The exposure forms at the interface between perception and function.

A typical scenario unfolds along the Alsancak main coastal strip:

A vehicle exits the roundabout and accelerates to match perceived corridor speed. Ahead, traffic appears fluid. Suddenly, a vehicle in the same lane reduces speed without strong visual cue, preparing for a right-side commercial turn. Brake lights illuminate later than expected because the following driver has already stabilized at rebuilt speed.

The compression is rapid.

The road geometry did not change dramatically when commercial development intensified in the 2000s and early 2010s. The lane width remained generous. The alignment stayed linear. What changed was interruption frequency.

Drivers still read openness.
The corridor now operates as a mixed-intent strip.

Compounding this dynamic is parallel activity. Vehicles entering from minor access points along the right side often anticipate lower approach speeds. When westbound traffic rebuilds too quickly after the roundabout, timing misalignment increases at these micro-entry points.

Evening light amplifies the effect. Westbound glare during certain months reduces contrast between brake lights and the asphalt surface. Illuminated signage along the commercial strip competes for visual priority, slightly delaying hazard recognition.

The risk is not located deep inside Alsancak.
It forms in the early approach zone.

Roundabout release
Speed normalization
Commercial activation
Density encounter

This sequence repeats daily.

Alsancak Coastal Road does not transition gradually. It shifts function quickly. When speed rebuild completes before density is cognitively registered, the corridor compresses without warning.

The openness is visual.
The interruption probability is structural.