Upgrades to transport resisted

July 15, 2008 - 10:05 PM by

Transport now!Borat’s infamous anthem “Throw the Jew Down the Well” has two verses. The first begins with the couplet “In my country there is problem / And that problem is transport.” The second opens with “In my country there is problem / And that problem is the Jew.” Yes, Jews and transport make for trouble.

Many have argued that the primary reason that Jerusalem’s highly anticipated light rail system keeps delaying its launch is that the Egged bus giant is doing its best to delay development every step of the way, in an attempt to protect its bread and butter.

Say what you will about conspiracy theories like these, but Egged, a collective that’s owned by its employees, happens to maintain the world’s second-largest fleet of coach buses (only Greyhound’s is bigger), so when you talk about old-time Israeli institutions wielding power comparable to that thrown around by American “big business,” Egged is case in point.

A similar process is reportedly going on in Tel Aviv now, where activists and the municipal government are encouraging the local (near-monopoly-hording) Dan bus company to redesign its counter-intuitive, unsound line structures. Dan, of course, is vehemently opposed, but Deputy Mayor Peer Visner (pictured), a Green Party man through and through, says that if they don’t, then maybe the city ought to implement some sort of Dan alternative – an alternative that could only compete with the big boys if it were to offer rides for free.

For Visner, it’s all in the name of making sure that Israel’s metropolis is as friendly, quiet and waste-free as possible. “As soon as there’s public transportation that’s convenient, efficient and affordable, people will start leaving their cars at home,” he explained to the NRG website (translation ours).

As much as Jerusalem’s light rail can seem like it’s nothing more than a pipe dream, Visner’s vision somehow comes off as even more fantastical. With elections looming and several green-themed parties vying for our love (more on this tomorrow), we have little choice but to wonder just how practical his vendetta against Dan might prove to be over time.

Tags: , , , , , • Category: Business, Politics 

Comments

3 Comments on Upgrades to transport resisted

  1. Israelity » Black cloud squeal hotline on Wed, Oct 15th 2008 7:47 PM

    2. [...] Tel Aviv gridlock is a major problem. And while the bureaucrats duke it out over the best way to fix things, the smog continues to billow. [...]

  2. NEIL on Thu, Oct 16th 2008 7:40 PM

    3. The Green parties in the USA & Europe are a bunch of Jew haters & envornmental crazies!!!!

  3. That annoying kid on the bus | ISRAELITY on Tue, Apr 21st 2009 12:00 PM

    4. [...] budget and without having to park. But in exchange, you have to deal with limited schedules, often slower routes and sharing close quarters with fellow commuters. This last drawback can be especially infuriating [...]

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