Tel Aviv-Jaffa currently has the third
worst air pollution among European cities (with only Bucharest
and Athens ranked worst). Research conducted by Israel's
Ministry of the Environment and the Israel
Union for Environmental Defense ("Adam Teva v'Din")
has found that in the Dan Region alone an average
of 1,100 people die each year from complications due to air
pollution, and that one child in five suffers from breathing
difficulties as a result of serious air pollution.
Furthermore, the pollution results in economic damage costing
over $77.4 million dollars a year due to
medical expenses of those suffering from associated illnesses,
as well as additional insurance and other costs due to premature
death.
SPNI's Parking Report found that within the coming decade,
the number of vehicles entering Tel Aviv-Jaffa on a daily
basis will reach 90,000. . This huge increase will only add insult to injury. The escalating levels of pollution doubtlessly add to the already-high number of deaths and illnesses. This huge number will obviously
increase even more the levels of pollution and doubtlessly
add to the already-high number of deaths and illnesses. A
review of the city's transportation policies also shows that
1 billion NIS have been spent over the past five years on
expansion and construction of roads and highways, while investment
in the previously-approved bikeways plan was reduced to only
1 million NIS. At the same time, public transportation has not been improved in any way and plans for a light railway
in the city have barely progressed, so that viable solutions
for a sustainable transportation policy in the city are scarcely
visible and meanwhile - Tel Aviv-Jaffa remains stuck in its
perennial "traffic jam".
We believe that in order to improve mobility and accessibility
in the city and at the same time reduce dependence on private
vehicles, there is an immediate need to promote all alternate means of transportation, first among them being - the light railway.
SPNI-Tel Aviv is currently promoting:
>a five-year goal should be set for the railway's implementation in the city center
>20 million NIS should be allocated from the city's annual transportation budget for construction of the already-approved bikeways network
>significant improvement should be carried out within the next two years in the level of public transportation services in the city
>pedestrians must be made central to the city's urban life - sidewalks should be returned to their full accessibility and their needs should be considered when determining any future construction and transportation plans for the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipal area
