The mayors of Kfar Saba, Ra'anana, and Herzliya are calling on the government to move forward on the construction of lateral Road 531. The mayors are also setting up a bus rapid transit (BRT) system between their cities.
The NIS 2.4 billion Road 531 project includes a freeway and parallel railway line between Road 6 (the Cross-Israel Highway) near Kfar Saba to Road 2 (the Coastal Highway) by Herzliya. The project has been stymied since the government cancelled the franchise of the road's contractor and operator, Shafir Civil and Marine Engineering Ltd. The government is now deliberating whether to take over the project or hand it over to another contractor.
At a meeting at the Kfar Saba Municipality, Kfar Saba Mayor Yehuda Ben-Hamo, Ra'anana Mayor Nahum Hofri, and Herzliya Mayor Yael German told Ministry of Transport officials that they favored setting up a BRT system to help ease congestion and air pollution in their cities. They added, however, that until it is possible to divert traffic to Road 531, setting aside lanes for the buses will only worsen the congestion.
BRT systems use large capacity high-tech articulated buses that use special lanes. The Ministry of Transport favors the use of BRT systems between Kfar Saba, Ra'anana, and Herzliya and in Tel Aviv as well.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 2, 2010
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