The economic damage caused by loss of time in traffic jams is estimated at NIS 20-15 billion

The draft law of arrangements presented by the Ministry of Finance includes reference to the issue of public transport, which is of critical importance in view of the exacerbating crisis on the roads, but ignores possible solutions. It should be emphasized that this is a draft that is expected to change until it is approved.
Although the law includes reference to enforcement on public transport routes and the Treasury recommends paving more such routes, it does not include increasing the frequency of buses traveling on these routes. Also, the law does not include congestion charges - a charge for drivers entering the major city centers with a private car - which could have funded the improvement of public transport. The congestion charge is offered in Israel only to the center of Tel Aviv at this stage and not to all city centers.
The accompanying document to the draft Arrangements Law distributed by the Ministry of Finance states that "the main access roads to the metropolis (Gush Dan) collapse during rush hour. The economic damage caused by loss of time in traffic jams is estimated at NIS 20-15 billion, mostly in Gush Dan." The ministry also attached actual data on the worsening of traffic loads felt by every driver, according to which the average speed at entrances to Tel Aviv from the main roads in Israel is decreasing. The entrance from Highway 1 is the slowest and during rush hours in the morning it drops below 40 km / h, and on the Ayalon lanes the speed is on the threshold of 40 km / h. The average driving speed during these hours on roads 2, 4 and 5 does not exceed 50 km / h, at best.
In contrast, the use of public transportation is significantly lower relative to the countries of the world. While in Tel Aviv only 8% of the trips are by public transport and 65% of them by private car, in Berlin 26% of the trips are by public transport, in Vienna 39% and in Singapore 44%. "The variety of public transport is insufficient," it said, "the speed of public transport and the rate of use are low relative to the world and the high subsidy (funding) makes it difficult to expand the service."
In order to improve the speed of public transportation and its reliability, the state is initiating the construction of preference lanes for public transportation (public transport). In the coming year, 34 kilometers of public transport are expected to be paved and by 2026 132 km will be paved. However, the draft Arrangements Law does not address the reinforcement of buses, which have dried up in recent years. Along with paving preference routes, there should also be more buses that will travel on them.
Collection of a congestion charge, which is common in many countries could have funded the reinforcement of public transport. It was drafted in the previous law of arrangements but was shelved this time as well. The congestion charges were also supposed to be part of the financing of the metro construction project in the center of the country, in addition to the light rail, which is estimated to cost NIS 150 billion. But now the state will have to find other sources of funding for the huge venture. Congestion fees are common in some countries in the world where there is a functioning metro system but the understanding is in Israel you can not wait for the planned metro system and the entry into force of the congestion fees must be brought forward to finance public transport service after decades of neglect.
"Without Metro, the country's business metropolis will not function - harming the economy and growth, the housing program and the standard of living," the Treasury document said. In 2018, 143 million vehicle hours were wasted in traffic jams in Gush Dan, and by 2040 they will reach 456 million hours if there is no metro. To promote the metro, the Arrangements Act includes legislation to prioritize the metro venture that will remove barriers, i.e. expropriate powers from local authorities to promote the venture. According to the Ministry of Finance, the metro's benefit to the economy is estimated at NIS 34-26 billion.
The draft Arrangements Act also includes reference to the establishment of metropolitan authorities for the management of transportation. The proposal is to establish such an authority in the center of the country that will plan and operate public transportation lines, establish public transportation infrastructure and synchronize public transportation entities - all in order to upgrade the level of service and take advantage of local authorities' knowledge of the area. This proposal was born after years of rejections, opposition from former Transport Minister Israel Katz and reports from the State Comptroller urging the establishment of such authorities.
Additional issues need to be addressed in order to begin resolving the transportation crisis in which Israel finds itself and are not reflected in the Arrangements Law, and they may be addressed within the framework of government policy in the future. These include significant reinforcement of buses, a dedicated budget for a program to combat road accidents, the establishment of a national plan for bicycle paths, intervention in urban planning in neighborhoods and cities where planning is biased by private vehicle traffic and a connection between housing and transportation infrastructure.