by Keren Setton
JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Buses are late and frequently cancelled, train services delayed, and traffic jams heavy. Just like people in many other countries in the world, Israelis are facing challenges to improve traffic.
According to data released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2019, traffic congestion in Israel is a "major" problem that costs two percent of the country's annual gross domestic product.
There are about 3.5 million private cars in Israel, a country with a population of almost 9 million and one of the highest fertility rates in the OECD, and the number of private cars is still growing.
Public transport in the country mainly relies on buses. There are places with limited access to public transport, particularly in the periphery of the country, because the public transport network is not developed enough to cover those areas.
"That is why Israelis prefer using their private cars. As long as they have no proper alternative, driving private cars is a rational decision," said Yoram Ida, chair of the department of public administration and policy at Sapir Academic College.
According to Ida, lack of investment in public transport has resulted in road congestion in Israel, which in turn incurs immense financial costs.
Moreover, there was a disproportionate increase in the number of infrastructure projects relative to the number of additional cars hitting the roads annually, he added.
In an attempt to improve Israel's public transport, a light rail train system is being built in Tel Aviv, with one of the first lines expected to be inaugurated later this year.
However, "all these moves might be too little, too late. Unless the state will take moves to make the use of private cars less attractive, this (traffic) problem will continue to grow," said Ida.
"It is difficult to change reality. There needs to be both a change to infrastructure and to people's habits," agreed Lara Paran, CEO of 15 Minutes Public Transportation Alliance, a nongovernmental organization.
Another problem Israel has to address is the shortage of bus drivers, which has already led to the disruption of services. With low wages and poor working conditions, bus driving is not attractive to Israelis while more buses routes are needed in the country.
Experts have called for strong political will to address those challenges in public transport.
"The use of private cars needs to be made difficult in order to develop public transport. But it is not a popular move and is difficult for politicians," said Paran. ■
