Sustainability is high on the agenda in Jerusalem
local city government and a local NGO is working to improve the walk- ing infrastructure for residents and organize active outdoor activities for healthier citizens. As the LRT and BRT lines continue to expand, the freed- up space in the streets will allow for wider and greener pedestrian zones for both transit and cultural events.
with the implementation of the LEZ – Jerusalemites will breathe in cleaner air within and beyond their downtown pedestrian zones within several years.
The EU wants to phase out con- ventionally fueled vehicles by 2050 and move towards carbon neutral urban logistics by 2030 (European Directive on Alternative Fuels and Infrastructure) - does the city of Jerusalem have an alternative fuels plan for the future? Jerusalem approaches alternative fuels as a potential solution to reduc- ing the environmental impact of nec- essary municipal vehicles, whether it be trash collection trucks or industrial buildings. With the anticipated arrival of the national natural gas pipeline to the city in 2019, the municipality is conducting a feasibility study on the creation of a CNG (compressed natu- ral gas) fueling station for municipal and private use. Furthermore, there is currently an investigative study under- way on the impact of biodiesel fuels on the existing fleet of municipal trucks to ascertain if increased emissions or engine damage will occur over the long-term use of biodiesel.
How do you see the role of alternative modes of transport in the city – walk- ing, cycling, car sharing? Non-motorized modes of transpor- tation, mainly walking, already act as the ‘last leg’ of many trips within
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Jerusalem. Encouraging the use of bicycles, despite the hilly topography, is an ongoing commitment via the additional construction of bike lanes in and around the city. Recently, a 42-kilometer long bicycle pathway was opened to the public as part of the completion of the Jerusalem Park, which belts the city in green and pro- vides recreational facilities for resi- dents along its length. In the coming decade, a bike-share program is in the works for the down- town area of the city. Since even walk- ing and cycling cannot cover all the residents of Jerusalem, especially the burgeoning demographic sector of children, car-sharing and shuttles are the approach we are pursuing to provide for their transit needs. In fact, car-sharing is already occurring organically within the dense confines of the ultra-Orthodox populated zones of Jerusalem, where limited park- ing and limited incomes give way to shared use of vanpools – all without any city intervention or subsidy. On a more formal level, the munici-
pality continues to expand shuttle access to holy sites in the Old City, to major sporting events, and to large office parks on the outskirts of Jerusalem – all free of charge from park-and-ride lots located out of the way of residential areas to alleviate the burden on local residents near such high-demand venues. Last but cer- tainly not least, cooperation between
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When planning your activities are you getting inspiration from other cities in Europe or around the world? What are the topics on which you would be most interested to exchange information? The model cities that Jerusalem aspires to match or even surpass are Rotterdam, (The Netherlands) with regards to the LEZ and Freiburg (Germany) with respect to the LRT. The German city’s extensive tram
network combined with feeder buses acts as a parallel to the Jerusalem plan of three light rail lines criss- crossing the city – two in a north-south direction and one going east-west – with bus rapid transit lines spurring off to local neighborhoods. In its own right, the recently expanded LEZ of Rotterdam acts as a good example to Jerusalem with the similar gradual buildup of the area from the city cen- tre outwards along with expanding the enforcement from only trucks and buses to private vehicles. Jerusalem is keenly interested in learning more about the implementation and enforcement issues of LEZs as well as the development of grassroots meas- ures to encourage the healthy lifestyle of residents.
FYI Ms. Fleur Hassan–Nahoum is Jerusalem City Council Executive Member, Transport and Preservation Portfolios for the Yerushalmim Party, Israel
fleurhn@jerusalem.muni.il
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