In the series of discussions on public transportation in the Public Inquiries Committee, the difficult transportation problems and the impossible infrastructure in Bnei Brak were discussed.
Committee Chairman MK Israel Eichler established a joint team for the Ministry of Transportation and the Bnei Brak Municipality, in cooperation with the operating companies and the police, to break the transportation blockade on the city's residents.
""We demand that, even before Purim, Rehoboth and Avraham Ben David be opened for exits from the city, in order to relieve pressure from the other exits in the city," said Eichler.
A representative of the applicants from among the ultra-Orthodox residents of Holon raised in the committee the plight of Holon residents, who are forced to travel two hours there and two hours back, every day to Bnei Brak. "Our heart is in Bnei Brak and most of the shopping and educational centers are in Bnei Brak. We have forwarded thousands of public inquiries from Holon residents and there is no response.".
During the discussion, representatives of the Egged company and the Ministry of Transportation announced that even before Passover, a fixed and direct line - 146 between Holon and Bnei Brak and back - will be operated. The line will operate twice an hour and will serve passengers between the two cities. "We have forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation about thirteen hundred signatures of God-fearing passengers from Holon who demand direct connection with Bnei Brak, and I welcome the good news of their connection to Bnei Brak," said Eichler.
Representatives of public transportation companies shared their woes about the constant traffic jams on the streets of Bnei Brak and the lack of bus terminals for parking and resting drivers. "We arrive for Purim with hundreds of buses for the benefit of the public, and where will we park them without creating a traffic jam that closes off the city?" they asked.
They demanded parking lots and a central station on both sides of the city.
Municipality representative Hanoch Seidman proposed "taking all intercity transportation out of the city." One central station should be established in the north and one in the south - for centralized departure and operation of comfortable and spacious shuttles between the city streets and the central station, with each vehicle picking up all passengers standing at the station.
""The city has become one large central station, with thousands of buses passing through the city every day, according to Ministry of Transportation data. This situation is unbearable for the city's residents, and only this solution will resolve the situation," he said.
A representative of the Ministry of Transportation claimed that 104,000 passenger trips are made daily in Bnei Brak. "Sixty percent of passengers in Bnei Brak use intercity transportation. Only forty percent travel in the city. The nature of the Haredi family makes it difficult to burden children with strollers and people and luggage to move from bus to shuttle and shuttle to bus and from one end of the city to the other.".
The chairman of the committee agreed to establish a professional team from the Ministry of Transportation and the Municipality, the police, and transportation companies that will propose a master plan for transportation in Bnei Brak within 30 days.
""Terminal areas in the city for buses must be found and police vehicles must be sent to smuggle cars parked on transportation routes. Public transportation must also be ensured to flow during rush hours on the main streets, such as on Purim days, Shabbat evenings, holidays, and the like.".
""The committee demands the immediate opening of another exit route from the city on Ben David Street. The committee will convene for a follow-up meeting before Lag BaOmer.".
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
