How Unique is Jerusalem?

How unique is Jerusalem?

In how many cities do you know are succot set up for the benefit of its Light Railway commuters?

Okay, I realize that the next question is: in how many cities of the world do people have a sit-down meal at a train station but, well, that also makes Jerusalem unique.

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Jerusalem's Light Railway Planned Next Stage

That blue line extends from Ramot through the center of town via Har Hotzvim to the Khan to Talpiyot and on to Giloh:

That's the new planned route for the Light Railway in Jerusalem.

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Coming Soon to Jerusalem's Light Rail?

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(k/t+RH)

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There Go the Paving Stones

Snapped this morning at the Ammunition Hill station of the Light Railway - the slowly but surely disappearing paving stones:

Are they to be thrown at us eventually or maybe going to new illegal construction?

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Rolling to a Disaster

I recently reported on violence initiated by Arabs on Jerusalem's Light Rail project.

The violence happened again:

Security guards employed by Jerusalem's public transportation system used pepper spray on Palestinian light-rail passengers on Wednesday...The incident occurred after Palestinian youths refused to heed the request of a light train conductor, who had asked them to take their feet off the seats of the train. Following their refusal, and a reported ensuing confrontation, light rail security was alerted.

Security guards arriving at the scene then used pepper spray against the Palestinians, and removed them from the train car; police officers called to the scene did not make any arrests.

Wednesday's incident came amid a growing amount of complaints concerning reported friction between Jewish and Palestinian passengers.

It will only increase.

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Downtown Jerusalem - The Light Rail Effect

Last week, I snapped a series of photographs of Jaffa Road, from the area of Machaneh Yehudah Shuq towrads the King George-Strauss Junction and I have some comments, after the pics:-

a)  looking back at Machane Yehudah, just above the Police Station -

b) looking down from Machaneh Yeudah -

c) just below the Clal Building, back towards Davidka Square -

d)  across from Clal looking towards King George/Strauss Junction -

I repeat my observation on  potential fatalities: most of Jaffa Road, from the Post Office up to and including Machaneh Yehudah, has no real barriers between the pedestrian areas, including near Zion Square all the outdoor cafe tables, and the rail lines.  In addition, except for a few dozen meters, the level of those rail lines and the sidewalks is the same - in other words, no sidewalks where one has to step down.

In my humble opinion, this will lead to careless on the part of pedestrians, people drinking at cafes, their children, etc. and inevitably, there will be accidents of trains running into people, or more properly, people running into trains.


And, while on the subject, the Hareidi population around Geule area are up in arms about a proposal to redirect more Egged lines into Malchei Yisrael Street and they are calling on people to protest the overcrowding of the area and the dangers of accidents and pollution as well as the 'introduction of secular bus lines':-

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Imbeciles

This morning bus riders seeking to get to the bus stop on Highway #1 opposite the National Police HQ from the Ramat Eshkol junction to get to town found that they needed to step into the street to get to the bus stop:

The approach from behind was blocked and coming from the corner, one needed to step into the street.

Brilliant.
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Can We Expect This With Jerusalem's New Light Rail Project?

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Jaffa Street - Empty

And all because of a trial period for the Light Railway.

Downtown Jerusalem and the Lightrail

Jaffa Street at Zion Square looking north:

Jaffa Street at Zion Square looking south:

I'm thinking it will be very dangerous for pedestrians with no proper sidewalks or barriers.

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The Emergence of the Light Rail

Tryouts of motion have been observed.

A Light Rail Car Spotted

Hot Light Rail

Electrifying

The Jerusalem Light Rail is going electric.

They are supposed to have a short trial run of some three stations length this week and I spotted the electrification wires:

Light Rail Goin' To Roll?

The news:

The Jerusalem light rail is scheduled to take a test run on February 24th...The test is scheduled to run from the nearby national police headquarters a few hundred meters to the Mandelbaum Gate.

Following the run, months of testing various aspects of the system will follow, accompanied by establishment of security arrangements and coordination of the rail traffic with vehicular traffic. Work will be accelerated on building stations and installing ticket machines.

The reality this morning:-

The Light Railway is Shaping Up (Or Stretching Out)

Will waiting at a bus stop be passe in Jerusalem soon?
This is Jaffa Street, looking south towards Zion Square:

Then again, maybe this will be the best way to get around town?

Traffic Is Two-Directional

Our neighbors have a new orientation (no pun intended):

Palestinians: Jerusalem light train will tear down the West Bank Wall

New voices are heard from Palestinian quarters regarding the Jerusalem Light Rail project (JLRP). In recent months, Arab entrepreneurs have quietly suggested extending the JLRP to the West Bank city of Ramallah. The logic behind this stand is that transportation projects all over the world become cross-border. These Arab businesspersons believe will happen also in the Palestinian territory. They think that this transportation project will eventually break the Palestinians' isolation or as they say "tear down the West Bank Wall."

...Despite some criticism, the construction of the JLRP has already brought boom to the Arab population along its route. For instance, according to local sources in Shoafat and Beit Hanina, the demand for commercial spaces along the expected route of the rail has been growing rapidly. The rent prices of these spaces have increased some ten folds in recent years and owners are already eager to see the JLRP operational.

Many in the West Bank say, in closed meetings, that the Ramallah extension is a good opportunity to test the new Israeli government' seriousness in upgrading the standard of living of the local population. The newly elected Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu has called for "economic peace" with the Palestinians, which will aim to improve the Palestinians' rickety economy ahead of future peace talks...Thus, according to Palestinian officials, the Ramallah project can emerge as a first "real" joint venture with the Israelis. In the past, all the Israeli proposals for economic cooperation were based on the Jewish state's bid to keep its hegemony and to control Arab resources...

...Eng. Taweel believes in the economic benefits of the project for the Arab population in Jerusalem. "The JLRP construction project can employ many Palestinian workers from the Eastern part of the city, and thus, economically supports many local Palestinian families," he noted...

Of course, if the security problem can be controlled, a population that is pacific is only a boon to peace. And an economically-advantaged society also helps.

And remember guys, traffic is always two-directional.

Sizer Has Things Sized Up - Wrong

Stephen Sizer of Virginia Water, Surrey (just adore those English place names) is the pastor of Christ Church there and he is a Confessing Anglican, Mainstream and Reform, whatever that means and I am simply noting my own ignorance - no value judgment made. He also is an Advocate for Christianity Explored and a founding member of the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ), a member of the Advisory Council of Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding (EMEU).

He also promotes divestment policies towards Israel and, specifically, that the contract with Veolia to construct the Jerusalem light rail be canceled.

Now, there are a good few reasons to stop the light rail: environment issues, economic cost issues, urban transport failure, etc. But Sizer has a political agenda:

The company is, therefore, not only undermining the chances of a just peace for the Palestinians, but is also implicated in war crimes. As the tramway also constitutes a significant alteration to the infra-structureof the occupied territories it is contrary to section 3 of the Hague Regulations of 1907 which are part of international law.

Now, besides the fact that Veolia is a 5% partner, all of this legal mumbo-jumbo is not very impressive for those who know the facts. In all its history, Jerusalem, east, west, north and south, was united as one city. Even the 1947 Partition resolution which called for a corpus separatum envisioned an area from Bet Hanina almost as far as Ramallah to the outskirts of Bethlehem which means that all this talk of "East Jerusalem" is a fiction perpetrated by the illegal Jordanian conquest and occupation.

Jerusalem today, and since June 28, 1967, is once again a legal geopolitical entity. Those "East Jerusalem settlements" Sizer refers to are neighborhoods and/or suburbs just like exist in any city and in some cases, existed prior even to 1948 and were renewed, like Neveh Yaakov, after Arab destruction.

The light rail, however wrong it may be, is not intended other than to serve allthe population of united Jerusalem, Arab and Jewish.

Since Sizer promotes the Oberammergau Passion Play Festival, I do get a funny feeling about the man's religiosity. Does this carry over to his Mideast views?

Jerusalem: Bureaucratic Administrative Mismanagement

As you all know, the Light Rail project is making a living hell for commuters in downtwon Jerusalem.

Those in charge have come up with a great idea for bus riders at the Machaneh Yehuda market at Jaffa Street.

Here are the bus stops for approximately 25 buses:

In case you didn't catch the "joke" (on us), since the modern buses are long (very long), and since there are perhaps upwards of two-dozen buses stopping there, and since four stops have been placed one after another, as you can by now imagine, the wait, the congestion, the pushing, the shoving and whateverelse has reached intolerable proportions.

Just wait until it starts raining.

The Catastrophe That Is Downtown Jerusalem

You may have heard or read about some doings in downtown Jerusalem in preparation for the light rail.

Well, there's nothing like seeing for believing.

These were taken this morning near Kikar Tziyon and closer to Shlomtziyon Hamalka.























And these were taken yesterday to illustrate the backup at 8:30 AM at King George Street leading down (and up) from Jaffa Road.


























The principle is quite simple and that's why our city father's and engineers and experts couldn't figure it out:

the buses are too long and the side roads used are too short and so, a humongous backload is being caused which leads to very long delays in getting about the center of the city. The lights change not quickly enough, as well and you can sit in one spot for ages.

If you're a pedestrian, wear one of those surgeon's masks. The dust is overwhelming. I can't wait for the rains.

And this is expected to continue for two (!!!) years.