The decline in the use of private cars, buses and trains has led to a drop in air pollution

The decline in the use of private cars, buses and trains has led to a tens of percent drop in air pollution from transportation. The Ministry of Environmental Protection says that an inspection conducted by Eitan Maza, an air quality forecaster at the ministry, and Amir Salzberg, director of the transportation department, show that most air monitoring stations recorded a 15% -30% drop in pollutants during the summer months (July-August). Months in the years 2015-2019. It should be noted that the measurement refers to Sundays to Thursdays only, without weekends.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection mentions that since the beginning of the corona crisis, there have been significant changes in pollutant emissions in Israel. During the first closure period (March and April 2020) the rate of decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions in the centers of major cities was 49% -60%.
The easing of the closure that began in May has increased transportation volumes, yet still, in a multi-month measurement they have not yet reached their average level for this time of year.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection notes that over the years "there has been a consistent but moderate improvement in air quality in cities, as a result of the tightening of air pollution standardization requirements that have led to technological improvements in vehicles and fuel quality." Last August, it was announced that Tel Aviv would join Haifa and Jerusalem by restricting the entry of polluting cars, but the Ministry of Finance notes that the improvement will come mainly from a decrease in the use of private cars and the transition to public transportation and modern mass transportation.
In about two and a half years, the first line of the light rail in Tel Aviv is expected to open (the red line - Petah Tikva-Tel Aviv-Bat Yam, with plans to extend to Rishon LeZion), and in the middle of the decade two more lines will be joined.
The Ministry of Energy has already banned the sale of petrol and diesel cars since 2030. Its control in the field will not come from the field of imports, but will be exercised by a possible limitation of the output of the refineries.