The numbers
since
the
beginning of the year have seen a drastic increase in road accidents, and many records have been broken on Israeli roads with 300 fatalities in road accidents, a number that has not been the same since the difficult 2017 year.
The number of deaths in motorcycle accidents broke the all-time negative record, and since the beginning of the year no less than 68 motorcyclists have been killed.
That figure joins a no less alarming figure than 2020, when the previous record was broken with 66 fatalities in motorcycle accidents.
The figure is worrying because 2020 was the year of the corona, with sparse traffic on Israeli roads.
Since the beginning of the year, 78 people have been killed in accidents involving heavy vehicles, compared to 59 last year.
Consumption culture
following the corona, the way we consume has changed forever, and is based on purchasing without really leaving the house, which increases the amount of vehicles on the roads. "I think people do not understand the power of this revolution," said Omri Sheinfeld, communications director of Walt Israel: "They think we are on the side of the authorities and do not understand that we are operating from the exact same place. But on the other hand we say, let's use me: we have thousands of messengers every day on the roads of Israel, we are aware of the hardships and invite any technology that wants to use our services, any authority that believes we can make a difference with it, contact us. "
Intercity roads
In the Municipal Comptroller's report published last month, a respectable chapter was devoted to the whole issue of the treatment of interurban roads: Higher; While the budget in the years 2021-2019 is considerably lower than the budget planned in accordance with the summary from 2016 - from about NIS 1.375 million on average, to about NIS 1.106 million. The auditor warned about the amount of dark intersections on Israeli roads, bridges with problematic maintenance and many sections of road that have not yet undergone a stratification process.
Congestion fee
As part of the new state budget, it was decided that starting in 2025, a congestion fee will be imposed throughout Gush Dan. Opinions about the ability of this type of move to change congestion in major cities are divided. About ten transportation experts sent a letter to the Ministries of Transportation and Finance, opposing the proposed mechanisms for implementing a congestion charge at the entrance to the Gush Dan metropolitan area: They are not alone in this issue, but it seems that in this sense the Knesset of Israel considers the congestion charge one of the most arrogant moves made in the last budget.
Free parking in big cities
Is this the move that will move residents to use only one car in big cities? Free parking for residents of cities with more than 40,000 residents will be abolished in about three years, the Knesset's Economics Committee decided last week. In cities there will be only free regional parking, and those eligible will only be residents living in the same residential area. A municipality that does not regulate parking areas will not be able to exempt its residents from paying, or alternatively will not be able to charge for parking. It was also decided that the maximum price for parking, which currently stands at NIS 6.3 per hour, will be abolished from the beginning of next year and municipalities will be able to set the price according to their policy.
Scooters and electric bicycles
in Tel Aviv alone have 5,000 tools scattered throughout the city today. With the average arrival in 2020 of nine victims of scooter accidents daily to Ichilov Hospital, the question arises how to deal with. The Minister of Transportation, Merav Michaeli, returned to the table an offer that had previously been blocked by lobbyists: license plates also on bicycles and scooters, which would make it difficult to obtain them and prevent hit-and-run accidents. This is a welcome change that will also encourage transportation studies at a young age.
A smart city
"The change can not only come from one body that decides to take responsibility for the issue. A holistic solution is required, otherwise we will continue to see the insecurity on Israeli roads," explains Dr. Smadar Itzkovich, CEO of Israel Smart Mobility Living Lab, which develops a platform Open data sharing anonymously between high-tech companies specializing in the field and public authorities - with the aim of developing new models for accident prevention, reducing road congestion, improving road infrastructure and reducing pollution. "It is precisely in the field of transport that at the moment the policy seems to be more of bodies: we are working with local authorities for example, and that is a decision they are making. At the end of the change must come from above, so that we do not continue to see accidents that could have been prevented."
The failure of public transport
in the new state budget passed last week, a special section was devoted to the promotion of public transport. The goal achieved was to increase development budgets. However, the familiar problems are still here: the Israel Railways and the buses that arrive late, innovations such as the "Babel" service, "Tik Tak" and "Quicki" throughout the cities are having a hard time getting up and are still receiving suspicious treatment from customers.
What the future looks like
"Transportation systems in Israel, and in particular public transportation, bicycle infrastructure and walking, suffer from neglect in planning and investment," says Professor Erel Avineri, a graduate of the Technion and head of the graduate program in energy and electrical power at Afeka College. "We are undergoing a significant demographic change, as a result of which the transport density will no longer allow reliance on the use of private vehicles in cities. We are not ready for the next decade in terms of planning alternatives for private vehicles, which is expected to lower living standards and economic damage." ".
The amount of cars
A moment after the first Corona wave ended, it was clear that something had changed on Israeli roads.
And our feelings were heightened by numbers: In Israel, a record was broken in the purchase of private vehicles - 183,000 new vehicles hit the road in the first half of 2021. Gil Laser, CEO of GoTo Global, which operates the CAR2GO cooperative vehicle service and the Ototel Cooperative vehicle service for the Tel Aviv Municipality, Explains: "From a study we conducted before introducing our services in Madrid, we found that 70 percent of the city's residents use a shared transportation model.
The global trend is quite clear, the transportation future is collaborative. "