During a ceremony for the signing of financial agreements for
Jerusalem's light-rail system a new Blue Line was announced.
The special express line will connect Gilo to Ramot via
Rechov Keren Hayesod, King George, Strauss, Kikar HaShabbat,
Yechezkel, Shmuel Hanovi and Har Chotzvim with special buses
that will have priority at traffic lights.
The Transportation Ministry has approved experimental use of
the innovative buses brought from abroad for use on the Blue
Line. The first model imported is the Pilas of Holland, which
features a hybrid motor that operates on electricity in
crowded urban areas and on diesel in open areas.
The innovative buses will be connected to a system of sensors
that will provide a control center with real-time updates on
its progress and will cause the traffic light to turn green
as the bus approaches an intersection. The system will also
send reports to a special electronic display at bus stops to
inform passengers when the next bus will arrive at the stop.
A special tilted platform installed at the bus stop will
guide the bus to a stop right at the edge of the sidewalk to
make boarding and debarking more convenient, especially for
passengers with strollers.
If this line proves successful it could serve as an
alternative to a light-rail line and is much less expensive
since it does not require tracks.
The Geula-Meah She'arim-Bucharim area will benefit greatly
from Jerusalem's transportation revolution. Infrastructures
will be replaced throughout these neighborhoods and the whole
area will be altered and renovated.
Alex Langer will head the Board of Public Transportation
recently set up in Jerusalem. Langer was the figure who
ordered Haifa's Sderot Kiryat Shmuel open to vehicular
traffic on Shabbos. Unfortunately there are already serious
concerns of an upcoming Shabbos war in Jerusalem since the
Blue Line will cross Kikar HaShabbat and continue to the Bar-
Ilan intersection and the Board is likely to claim it cannot
be closed on Shabbos.
