Grinding to a halt / The mythical light-rail panacea

Two-thirds of all vehicular journeys in Israel are made in private cars, while only one-third are made via public transportation. The result, as everyone knows, is huge traffic jams in the major metropolitan areas.

To contend with this problem, the three big metropolises - greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa - are engaged in planning various mass transit systems. The first two have opted for a light rail system, which many view as the country's salvation.

Yet no light rail system can solve the traffic problem on its own. To be effective, it must be part of a broader system that includes both other forms of public transportation and techniques to reduce demand for private transportation.

The light rail, which will run frequently and have special lanes set aside for it, will somewhat reduce the number of people who use private cars to get from the suburbs to downtown. But its more important impact might be in strengthening downtown areas by making them more accessible.

At the same time, the light rail will reduce demand for buses - an effect that can be counteracted only through investments in improving the bus system. Moreover, unless such investments are made, the bus system will not be able to effectively support the light rail network. Overseas, the standard approach is a combination of fast buses and trains, with the two systems sharing both stations and tickets to enable passengers to switch from one to the other quickly and easily.

Improving the bus system involves setting aside special bus lanes, increasing the frequency with which the buses run and finding technical solutions that will allow large numbers of passengers to get on and off quickly. Sometimes, such a system can even make a light rail unnecessary.

In addition to upgrading the bus system and building the light rail, big cities must begin discouraging private vehicular traffic. If the Transportation Ministry were to grant these cities the requisite powers, they could encourage a transition from private to public transportation through methods such as reducing the number of parking spaces, imposing a congestion surcharge (like that instituted in London) and building special lanes for public transportation. Nevertheless, it is clear that such methods cannot be introduced until an efficient public transport network is in place.