Pani Ha'aretz / Competition for the development of environmentally friendly transportation encourages projects that will replace the use of the private car
Zafarir Rinat
Annual travel - road congestion - graph
One of the green organizations in Israel, "Transportation Today and Tomorrow", decided that it is not enough to conduct a public struggle against the widespread use of private cars for its negative environmental effects, and that we must act in favor of alternative transportation methods. The way the organization chose is to hold the first competition for sustainable transportation in Israel.
The competition, which was launched at the beginning of the summer, is held in cooperation with the local government center and the ministries of the interior, transportation and environment. It is intended for cities and local and regional councils. The representatives of these authorities were invited to present sustainable transportation projects (referring to means of transportation whose use preserves the environment in the long term) that have been carried out and implemented in recent years, or projects that are currently in the execution stages. So far, 22 projects have been submitted to the competition organizers.
In Israel there is an urgent need to develop sustainable transportation, against the background of the constant increase in the number of private cars and the scope of their use. Despite the accelerated construction of new roads in the last decade, the congestion on the country's roads has increased by about 60% in the urban areas. The meaning of this trend is the worsening of the congestion problems (extending the travel time) and the creation of severe noise and air pollution hazards.
The winners of the competition, who will be chosen in January 2003, will not receive monetary prizes but certificates of appreciation and commendation marks whose main purpose is to improve the city's image. The heads of local authorities are already aware that environmental awareness is an important asset in the eyes of many voters, so the people of "Transportation Today and Tomorrow" hope that the competition will be an incentive for the development of alternative transportation methods.
Contest participants are supposed to present projects that do not rely on a private car or the addition of new roads, but instead encourage the use of public transportation, walking and cycling. Changing travel habits and optimizing the use of a private vehicle will also be considered to encourage sustainable transportation.
Other criteria are maintaining social justice and concern for public participation. A project presented in the competition should help the mobility of population groups who cannot use a private vehicle, such as the elderly or those with low income.
The organizers of the competition do not disclose details of the projects submitted to them. However, there are several transportation projects that have been promoted in recent years and have already received publicity. One of them is the Tel Aviv bicycle path program. The plan has broad public support, but so far it has been promoted only very partially.
In Haifa, several changes were made in the way public transportation is used (moving lines to the outskirts of the city instead of the buses traveling inside it) which resulted in a reduction of the air pollution caused by the buses. This is an example of the use of sustainable transportation that reduces its negative side effects. In the city of Yavne, they started building bicycle lanes and in several cities in Israel there are exclusive lanes for public transportation.
The proof of the potential inherent in sustainable transportation in Israel has been provided in recent years by the railway. With the improvement of the train service and the addition of regional lines, the number of passengers increased at a dizzying pace and rose from 6.3 million a year four years ago to 15 million a year ago. All this even before the suburban train lines to Rishon Lezion and Kfar Saba were laid, before the mass transit systems were established in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and before the train line between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was restored to operation.
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