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NEWS
As of Succos No More Cars Allowed into Old City
by Yated Ne'eman Staff
The Jerusalem Municipality has decided to ban private vehicles from entering the Old City. Only commercial and emergency vehicles will be allowed access, and special permits will be issued to residents, while visitors will have to use shuttles from the surrounding parking lots.
For years the Old City has been overwhelmed by the volume of car and bus traffic inside its gates. In addition to the limited number of parking spaces, which led to excessive illegal parking, the narrow roads have made visiting the Old City a dangerous affair, as visitors are forced to press their way through moving cars. The traffic also leaves the walls blackened by exhaust smoke.
Following extensive meetings held by the Ministries of Transportation and Tourism and at City Hall, the only solution found was to ban entry of private vehicles into the Old City, starting on Succos. According to the plan, which was drafted some 18 months ago, infrastructures will be upgraded and renovated, and private vehicles will be kept out until a permanent solution is found, and the narrow roads will be converted into pedestrian walkways.
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