On Constructing 5-Legged Camels

"A camel is a horse designed by a planning committee"

Eco-friendly transportation is important. Period.
Tel Aviv is crowded, traffic jams are hell and the lack of parking space is somewhere way beyond hell. So travelling by bicycle or by public transport makes a lot of sense.

Sort of.
Sometimes.
In some areas.

I use my bike to go from A to B. It's easy, cheap and quick. No parking problems. I'm not so sure it is healthy, due to the awful air quality i breathe while pedalling my way between buses, vespa motor bikes (i read somewhere their exhaust fumes are about as bad as those of a truck, doe to the amount of small particles they emit) and the endless lines of cars standing idle in yet another traffic jam.

However, in some areas it is also dead scary. Dan bus drivers are my worst enemy. Egged drivers come a close second only because there are less of them in the areas where i tend to travel most, not that they are more bike friendly). Jaffa's Jerusalem Boulevard (Nouzha or Pasha in the past) is noteworthy as a very scare road for the audacious cyclist.

The municipality is known for its greenwash policy making: More parking lots , more highways, more huge road crossings of multi-lane free-ways, more cars in short. But they talk green. So they plan bike paths. Which is nice. Or rather, which could be nice.
The only problem being that those who plan them, have not seen a bike close by for years. Nor have they used public transport.
Otherwise, how can one explain the silly bike paths along Ibn Gvirol street? The clash between people waiting at the bus stops or going to and from the bus-stops which are located right on the bike paths is unavoidable. Not even a camel, but a five-legged, blind and deaf camelchik, that's what it is, the Ibn Gvirol bike path. Who could have thought of something so utterly idiotic?

And now they have started planning another bike path along Jaffa's Jerusalem Boulevard. Great, we need one there. Jerusalem Boulevard is one of the scariest places to ride a bike. I try to avoid that road as much as possible. But i cannot. It's central, it's where a lot of services are located, and i sometimes need those.
So a bike path would be great.

And planning it properly is important.

But there is just one small problem. The guys (i suspect they are guys, women wouldn't do it that way) doing the planning, are working on their own, without talking to others also planning in the same street, such as the developers of the light train and the public transport companies who are currently in the process of developing the new public transport system for Jerusalem Boulevard.

Just before Passover i participated in a meeting with the planners of the "light train's" green line, the first line to become active, supposedly in another 3-4 years. Construction has already started in Jaffa's Jerusalem Boulevard. From their presentation (they are very good at PR, that's one thing to be said about them), i realized other public transport as well as bikes do not really interest them. They are seen as a nuisance more than anything else. They are "the competition" and therefore their lives should be made difficult, rather than easy and safe. After all, if you cannot travel easily by bus or by bike, you'll take the light train.

So why cooperate?

As a result several municipal and traffic authorities and green NGO's are each planning their own thing separately and i cannot begin the image the possible result. A cyclist's bad dream, that's for sure.

Blocking the bridge, stupidity or maliciousness?

You can build a wall and make it obvious who's wanted and who is the outsider. You can also build a 4 lane road used by no almost no one in order to detach one part of the area to another part, to "keep them out".
The latter technique is extensively used in Jaffa in order to create a clear dividing line between the poor housing estates and one of the wealthier parts of Jabaliyeh (or Givat Aliyah, if you like to use that name).
A 4-lane wide, deeply laid road devides two city parts. On the southern side the Jabaliyah mosque stands and a foot bridge connects the two parts of the city.
The bridge is used mainly by the kids from the nearby housing estate when they walk to school, by Ajami's residents for going to the mosque and by the guys from the yeshiva, the "Torah Seed" as they like to call themselves.
The bridge (an atrocious Orientalist affair by the way) is accessible to bikes and those on foot only. It's the only easy access for Ajamis elderly and infirm Muslims who want to pray or attend classes in the mosque, unless they have a car. And as many of them are poor and do not have cars, using the bridge is the ONLY way they can reach the mosque. Going around is quite a distance not easily walked by the elderly and infirm nor by those fasting during the month of Ramadan.

Until yesterday.
The bridge has been effectively blocked by the newest construction of the Jaffa development team of the Mishlama.
They have created side walks and a tiny road where no one really needs them, at the same time raising the pavement in such a way the bridge is no longer easily reachable by those with difficulties. In the past people could park their cars next to the bridge and cross on foot. Elderly devout could drive over the bridge in their "kalnoit", their little "golf car" type vehicles and reach the mosque. No longer so, as of yesterday, when easy access to the bridge serving the mosque was simply blocked to those with walking problems.
No brain or bad intentions?
The community is trying to organize against the latest development.

The municipality was called in order to stop the works. The municipality claimed they had shown the plan to the neighbours who had said nothing.
There is just one slight problem with the municipality's claim; the plan they showed the neighbours was exactly the other way around. The bridge was to be kept open and another road was to be blocked in order to safeguard those walking to the mosque from being hit by speeding cars who could not easily notice them due to a corner that allowed for little leeway.
The road that was supposed to be block off on one side will have only two houses in it, therefore becoming a dead end road wouldn't really cause any problems. Instead the municipal geniuses (or are they evil planners?) blocked of the mosque bridge. Brilliant.

Sweet water, orchards and memory

Jerusalem Boulevard is being prepared for the underground (which in Jaffa will be above ground) or light railway or whatever they want to call that train of long planning but little practice.

As a result, parts of the road are blocked for various preparations. Traffic jams are the obvious result and swearing drivers of short patience-span the unavoidable outcome.

During the works in the northern part of the boulevard archeological findings caused a further stop in order to investigate the nature of the findings; Apparently during the Byzantine period there were wells and pools for the irrigation of the orchards surrounding Jaffa at that time (way before the Orange of Jaffa fame was introduced).

Jaffa was a wealthy town due to its natural harbour, sweet water wells (now destryoed by our less than carefull use of water as well as pollution - almost no water well in Tel Aviv west of the Ayalon is usable) and good land.

The archeological findings surrounding the oldder parts of the town, which started expanding during the 19th century) all point to Jaffa's wealthy past.

It is said that in the past a small stream ran along what is now Jerusalem Boulevard. Perhaps. On old maps it is indicated.

Most drivers swear when they hear about yet another arechological dig (there's another one going on on a small street leading from Boustrous (or Raziel, if you prefer today's name) to "Dr. Leck".

I'm quite moved by them, excited. A little bit of the past. I wonder what archeologists in another 500 years or so will excavate and think of us :) with our plastic bottles, plastic bags and other bits of garbage to last eternity.

Two people killed in traffic accidents on Jaffa's Jerusalem Boulevard

Six-year old Eitan Sinay got with his mother off the bus on Jerusalem Boulevard and slipped, falling underneath the bus. The bus driver didn't notice, closed the doors and started driving, mortally wounding Eitan, who died a short while after.

Ali Azazme, a Jaffa resident in his early fifties, was hit by a bread delivery truck during the early morning hours. in the same street. He died immediately.

Yesterday, Jaffa, winter 2008

During the year 2007 several people were killed in traffic accidents along Jerusalem boulevard, one of Jaffa's main streets. Many, but not all, were pedestrians.

Tel Aviv's Dan Bus-cooperative on a fairly wild strike

Dan bus drivers went on a sort-of-wild-strike today. The cooperative's members are quite well paid, but the employed non-member drivers rather less so. As a result, some of the drivers went on strike today, completely stopping parts of the city's public transport. The drivers blocked the entrance and exit lanes of the "Carmel" Bus Depot, next to Tel Aviv's market.
As a result, public transport to all of the city and neighbouring suburbs was badly damaged. More than that, Egged buses, running from the same station, were blocked from leaving, while packed with commuters who selected to drive "Egged" rather than their regular "Dan" buses in an attempt to get home with heavy bags full of produce bought at the market or from work. The strike had not been pronounced officially and as a result many people waited for hours on over loaded bus stops, speculating why things took so long.
I do have a lot of understanding for the position of the employed drivers, however, going on a wild strike is sort of, well, counter productive, as the people who might be their best allies, were incredibly pissed off. Getting stuck with heavy bags of food and not enough money for a taxi on such a hot "khamsin" day, does do very little for sympathy.
The Egged busdrivers who picked up commuters and rode rather wild escape outes to get out of the blocked bus station, were considered the true heros by many of the public.

Action! Bike & Train

Please take a minute to sign the petition to allow bicycles on the trains in Israel as is done in the U.S., Europe and many countries in Asia.
This, together with bike paths to the train stations, and decent bike parking at the stations, is a very inexpensive way to reduce air pollution, reduce congestion on the highways and roads, reduce Israel's balance of trade deficit and improve Israel's quality of life.
The petition is sponsored by Israel Bicycle Association, an environmental group.

Please forward this to your friends and to email groups.

Break a leg

A truck loading building materials overturned on Jaffa's Yefet Street, this morning at 8 o'clock, after one of its supporting legs broke off.
On its way down, it destroyed a roof and wall of a construction materials storage room.

Thankfully, no one was hurt and collateral damage was fairly limited. It's good kids are on Eid elAdha/ Christmas holiday, as normally around this morning hour the streets are packed with children on their way to school.

Lazy Bums & Egoists

Using a bike, walking or travelling by public transport is healthier in quite a few ways. And in parking space starved Tel Aviv it's also quicker.
Jaffa however, has a lot of public parking spaces, and they happen to be free as well.
Jaffa is ideal for responsible car use: use it when you have no choice, otherwise go public, by bike or walk. As many of Jaffa's people are not wealthy, car ownership is lower than in Tel Aviv.
Many houses and streets in Jaffa have been torn down over the last 30 years and little was built to replace the lovely old houses once gracing its ancient streets. As a result, there is much parking space.
Raziel street (once known by its original name of "Boustrous" street, after the idealistic peaceloving Christian Palestinian business man who founded the first houses along that street) is in the northern part of Jaffa.

Graced by some lovely old houses, a home for immigrant elderly and a few rennovated buldings, there are also a number of very mediocre restaurants mostly frequented by well-to-do Tel Avivians preferring the "Jaffa Lite Experience", that is, saying they went to "authentic" Jaffa without really going there.
Really really close by there are a few large public parking areas, where they can park their cars for free, a rarity in Tel Aviv, where normally one has to pay a lot of money for the "pleasure" of parking ones car.
However, the creeps frequenting these restaurants, are too lazy to walk 30 m. As a result, they tend to double park along Raziel street, creating horrid traffice jams.
Another nasty habit is ofcourse parking in busstops. Especially during the darker hours (which start early in winter) it's very difficult for young children waiting for the bus. The cars hide them from the sight of the busdriver who then passes the bus stop without stopping.
As a result, the kids run on to the street when they notice the bus is about to arrive, thereby endangering themselves.
Why? Because some asshole (excuse the language) was too bloody lazy to walk a little and instead parked his (or her) car right in front of the clearly marked bus stop.
This happens daily.

Another man killed by the border police in south Tel Aviv

Friday night a man in his forties, from Bat Yam, who was riding his bike along Kibutz Galuyot close to the corner with Abulafia street in south Tel Aviv ( a road connecting between Jaffa and Tel Aviv), was killed in an accident.
A border police jeep drove into his bicycle. The man was riding his bike close to the side of the road. He died from his wounds while the ambulance people were treating him, before he had been brought ot the hospital.

The accident is being investigated as it is unclear how it happened. It appears there was no problem from the side of the cyclist.

Another question that should be asked: what is the border police doing in South Tel Aviv

And yet another question: why are the police investigating the police?

Jaffa by bike

My few usual readers will know my 2 previous bikes were stolen but, YES, today i bought a brand new, beautiful, shiny, red bike.

I intended to buy a 2nd hand one, but got a great deal on a brand new bike instead.

Happy with my very new bike, i took it to Jerusalem Boulevard, which (in the days of my previous stolen bikes and before the Elevated-Big-Shit-Pipe era) used to have an "official bike path" right in the middle, safely between the lovely high shade providing trees and away from Dan bus drivers and other maniacs.

No longer so. Why? Hell (and Ron Hulday, the mayor) knows. It's gone, no more, an ex-bike path.

So i checked my brand new municipal "bike path map" and indeed: no more bike path in Jaffa.
The existing bike path stops just before entering Jaffa. The municipality proudly presented its "bike friendly policy" and stated they added many km's of bikepath, but in Jaffa they took them away.

Why?

No idea.

So all we have is an ex-bike path.
Now i just hope and pray my brandnewredshinywonderful bike will not quickly become another ex-bike.

Ghost of a bike

Officially the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality claims to have a "pro bike" ideology and not for the first time they have organized a bike festival of sorts at the "sporteque" in north Tel Aviv. They also prepared a special "bike routes map" of Tel Aviv which, wonder of wonder, is being handed out for free.

But that is, so it seems, as far as they will go.

Biking is healthy, cheap, no problem with traffic jams and until recently, no parking problems either.
(That is, no problem to find a parking space, there is always a lamp post, a tree or some other piece of "street furniture" to which to connect your bike with a heavy chain lock, but when those are lacking you stand a fair chance to loose your bike to one of the many thieves. UNTIL NOW...

Yediot reported today that the Tel Aviv municipality has started to tow away bikes!!
They send a "pakah", a sort of municipal policeman with a big cutter, to cut through the lock and then a tow car comes to pick up the bike and tow it somewhere.

In order to get your bike back, you have to pay a fine (for obstructing the public space or some sort of offence like that.)
To the best of my knowledge there is no accepted & legal traffic sign stating you may not park you bike somewhere.
There are not enough bike park "thingies" in the city (in Jaffa there are none) so what are you supposed to do?

Don't these municipal police have something else to do?

And if you find your bike stolen, should you assume it stolen by the municipal police?
How can you prove your bike is yours by the way?

Weird....

Communal Taxis in Jaffa!!! Finally

Wonder of wonders, somebody "up there" read this morning's earler post about the bad service we Al Ajami residents receive from the Dan bus cooperative?
Waiting, yes, once more, for busline 46 to arrive and complaining just like all other people waitng with me, a yellow communal taxi passed by & stoppped.
Since 3 days communal taxi nr. 4A provides services to Jaffa residents! At the price of 5 NIS it is actually cheaper than the bus, which costs 5.10 NIS, moreover they stop on the route, wherever you want them to .
The taxi's leave from Balfour (Bat Yam) through Yefet street, make a turn through the flea market in Yehuda MeRaguza street, then left again at HaEshel (the Flea-market)
street, then the clock tower square, along the beach until Allenby and from Allenby to the Central bus station.

The driver happened to be the one of the big bosses of the communal taxi firm, Johanan Shapira who said that if the request will be big, they can drive every 5 minutes! So far people make little use of the new communal taxi line, as it is new and they are not yet aware of it.
He also told me about a similar experiment in north Tel Aviv that has proven to be very successful, but it depends on us, Jaffa residents, to make use of it the new line and turn it into a success.
In north Tel Aviv the line was successful and then by means of community action by r4esidents andf drivers, expanded to a larger area along the Dan bus routes, who suddenly started to feel the competition and improved their services. Now both the taxis and the Dan buses there compete, and the people living there profit form improved services.
The phonenumber of the communal taxi firm for any complaints or suggestions: 050-8330176 or 050-8330164

Dan buslines in Jaffa - Bad Service as a norm

I recall the days buses had those hard blue sticky plastic seats and you could smoke in the back. All windows were open, to let in some "fresh" air in our hot and H U M I D summer. There was usually only standing space and the busstop i hated most, was next to the fish stores in Jaffa, the overpowering fish smell adding that "little something" to the summer bus odors (i guess deodorant was very expensive at the time) , which just made me... ok i don't want to put you off just yet.

Today's Dan Cooperative Busses are red, usually the airconditioning works (except for the back part in the large "harmonica" busses), the seats are comfortable and some even have space for wheel chairs.

BUT...

When the 2nd intifada erupted in 2000, there were a few demonstrations in Jaffa. We even heard about a stone thrown at a bus. In reaction, the Dan company changed its routes "for so called safety reasons" or some other funny explanation I don't remember.
As a result a large part of Al Ajami neighborhoodwas left bus-less, implying elderly, children and generally speaking all of us not owning or wishing to use a car, have to walk long distances to reach the closest bus stop.

Some modifications in the route have been made since then, and the Dan public transport cooperative denies we are receiving a collective punishment, but that's exactly what we perceive. Public transport deteriorated and keeps deteriorating.

In the mean time, the municipality started roadworks here and there in Jaffa (which have been going on for years now) and bus routes are modified on a whim, without informing the public, the clients, who often wait (in this very hot and humid weather) in busstops that were cancelled a week ago, but no body has bothered to put up a sign, so there we wait, the old and infirm, the poor, the children, in the hot summer sun.

Ofcourse in Jaffa a bus stop is in many cases just a sign, there are no seats, nor bus stop shelters, no shadow (Allthough i must thankfully admit this week they finally placed an actual real touchable, non virtual shelter close to my house, in Yefet street!), so yes, we all wait in the sun.

It gets worse, however. Once upon a time bus line 46 had a bus every few minutes, during peak hours. Lately i have found myself waiting over 30 minutes for the bus nr. 46. No, not a freak incident, everybody has noticed there are less buses at all hours of the day.

Bus line 10 (we only have 2 Dan lines in Al Ajami) has an old VERY bad record with a bus every 20 - 25 minutes, but we know that, so unless i absolutely must, i don't use that line, it's quicker to take 46 to wherever and hop on another busline, but now "our" 46 busline has started messing up.

Why? No one (except for the Dan Cooperative ofcourse) knows. Perhaps they even deny it, but, come on guys, we are your clients and don't think we don't "notice it", when we have to wait 30 minutes for the bl**** bus to arrive.

(and thanks for the new bus stop shelter at Yefet, we appreciate it, just make sure to keep working on the other ones as well)