Every new weekend it repeats itself - people who have used the project "Na'im on the weekend" excitedly tell how it changed their lives from end to end. They send me messages, call me, and sometimes I meet them on the buses themselves. The stories are varied - the couple traveling from Tal Aviv to Hod Hasharon for a Friday dinner with his parents; the grandson who can visit his grandparents in Kiryat Ono on Friday afternoon; the pensioners who can drive around the city to drink coffee or spend time at the beach. The bottom line is the same: we got the freedom of movement back, he is not dependent on a private car and is Saves us money.
The public transportation project that I promoted and operates in Gush Dan on weekends and holidays is an example of a policy that meets the needs of the residents and provides them with a solution to an acute problem.
This can only be done when working in full synchronization between the local authority and the residents.
This is how the Israeli government should behave in preparation for the activation of the red line of the light rail in Gush Dan in about two months.
This is the first line from a network of light rail and metro lines that will operate in the Gush Dan metropolis, and in the establishment of which hundreds of billions of shekels are being invested.
Freezing them for 25 hours each week would be a waste that would call into question the efficiency of the entire system to meet the stated goal of reducing private car travel in the metropolis.
Israel is getting crowded, and by 2048 it will double its population.
This figure alone requires modern and efficient transportation solutions, without which the number of vehicles on the road will increase more and more, and the lost hours currently wasted in traffic jams will multiply many times over.
There is no escaping the operation of public transport on weekends, and the Gush Dan light rail is an excellent place to start. This is a new project, part of the line travels underground, it is not noisy, it does not pollute, it connects five different cities, and most importantly - to operate or not to operate The first line on weekends will have direct consequences on the rest of the network lines.
The incentives for action are there - the "Na'im on the weekend" project is in demand: it takes thousands of vehicles off the road every week, reduces traffic accidents, reduces air pollution, reduces traffic congestion, and by the way contributes to a cleaner city and a cleaner world while it is dealing with a crisis Severe climate.
What is needed is courage.
The government is headed by a pragmatic person, who knows and is able to pass such decisions.
The current government, which is thinking about the end of the year, has a golden opportunity to make a complete change in our travel habits, which will help the weaker sections who need this service, alongside all the obvious benefits of maintaining public health, reducing traffic congestion and road accidents, and protecting the planet.
On the other side, the local authorities are waiting, most of which will be happy to cooperate and assist the central government to implement the decision.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Minister of Transportation Merav Michaeli are true partners in this revolution.
We here in Tel Aviv are waiting for the green light to give our public the obvious - full accessibility and release from the burden of the polluting and offensive vehicle.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
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