Construction proceeds on road to the Hebrew University

The municipality has of late turned their bike path construction efforts to Churchill Boulevard, the main street leading up to the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus. The design and methods are the same as those already seen in the North Jerusalem neighborhoods of French Hill, Givat Hamivtar, Tsameret Habira and Ramat Eshkol. Here too, the street has been reduced to an unreasonably narrow width that allows little to no room for human error and is prone to congestion. This on a street utilized by ambulances rushing to the Hospital with patients in critical condition and buses packed with students going to the University (it should be noted that a major bus terminal with a very high amount of traffic is located at the University). It likewise appears that numerous parking spaces, necessary for visitors to the Hospital and the local student population, will be arbitrarily reduced to provide space for the bike paths, in the same way as has already been done or is planned for elsewhere in the neighborhoods.

While the construction has not progressed far enough to reach the actual creation of the bike paths themselves, given the repetition of the same design flaws already seen in the road work, it is reasonable to assume that the Hebrew University bike paths will be afflicted with the same faults as those already constructed in the nearby residential areas. It is also highly likely that the same bus stop design implemented in the North Jerusalem neighborhoods through the course of the project, where a bus is forced to stop in the middle of the road blocking all the traffic behind it, will likewise be implemented here on this important artery of the city.

This relocation of efforts, seems to be in response to the overwhelming resistance the municipality has encountered amongst the residents of French Hill, Givat Hamivtar, Tsameret Habira and Ramat Eshkol towards the bike path construction work that has already been carried out in those neighborhoods. Presumably, the contractors have been given a section of road to work on from some of the more advanced and later stages of the plans while the municipal representatives try to pacify the adversaries of the project on an individual localized level. Once the resignation of the residents has been achieved, the path near the University can be extended back to sections already completed in North Jerusalem neighborhoods and expansion can once again commence there.

A partially completed section of the bike path sidewalk extension.

A portion of the street fenced off and under preparation for transformation into a bike lane.

The incisions show the degree to which the bicycle path will narrow the road.

These incisions line up with partially constructed bike path extensions.

The road will become so narrow due to the bike path, that buses will barely be able to travel along the street, just as was done on Sheshet HaYamim street