Photographs and Promotion - Neighborhood Business Network

Below is a message that has been circulating regarding a neighborhood business networking event taking place next week:

להלן הודעה שנמסרה לגבי ארוע 'עסק שכונתי' בשבוע הבא:

לאור ההצלחה המסחררת של הערב הראשון, "עסק שכונתי" ממשיך להתגלגל: 

אנו מצרפים מידע ולינק להרשמה לאירוע הקרוב שיתקיים ביום רביעי 12 ביוני, בשעה 19:45 במתנ"ס.
המפגש יכלול: 

א. צילום מקצועי שלכם, לטובת "דפי זהב שכונתיים" ולטובת פרסום העסק שלכם באתר ובפייסבוק של המתנ"ס ולקמפיין שכונתי שיעודד את התושבים לצרוך שירותים ומוצרים מכם. 

ב.סדנת "צדים ברשת: השגת לקוחות חדשים באמצעות הרשת השכונתית", בהנחיית שרית טביב מילמן מנחת קבוצות ויועצת לפיתוח ארגוני. במהלך הסדנה נחשוף את עסקינו למשתתפים נוספים שלא פגשנו בפעם הקודמת (הפעם לא בזוגות אלא כקבוצה) ונלמד כיצד לשפר את דרכי המכירה שלנו. 

ההשתתפות בפעילויות תהיה בתשלום- לכיסוי העלויות. לפרטים והרשמה לחצו כאן 

כרגיל, נשמח אם תביאו כיבוד קל 

צוות שכונתי

"Continuing to influence the neighborhood master plan"

The community center of the French Hill area says:

The public is invited to a number of meetings this upcoming month. Through the meetings we will look into an number of different topics from the plan that relate to the development of the area. It is important to emphasize that the master plan will be used as a guideline to set the options and limitations for all future building in the area (as opposed to a concrete building plan in and of itself). If you care about what our neighborhood will look like in five, ten or twenty years time - this is a once is a life time opportunity to influence these decisions. The dates and topics of the meetings.

The first meeting will take place this Sunday at 20:30 (pre-registration is required - please see the link above). It is very important that we influence the future of the neighborhood!

Attention: Traffic light work at intersections

Newspaper article

We've been informed that an article about the problems of the bike paths in our neighborhood is being published today. It will appear in the "Yediot Yerushalaim" newspaper.

Meeting regarding neighborhood master plan!

The community center has sent out an invitation to a meeting that will take place tomorrow (the 28th of January 2013) evening at 19:30 regarding the municipality's master plane for the area of Mount Scopus,  French Hill, Givat HaMivtar and East Ramat Eshkol. The municipal representatives will be presenting their findings from surveys they conducted regarding the state of the neighborhood and will be open to suggestions from residents regarding improvements that need to be in the master plan in order to improve the face of the neighborhood.

Come en-masse in order to let the city know that at the top of our list of improvements to the neighborhood is the removal the dangerous bike paths!

Here is the formal invitation:

Election results for the management of the community center

The election results are in for the management committee of the French Hill community center. With a 38% participation level, congratulations are in order to all those who voted!

Below is a message from the community center (translated from hebrew):

Greetings to the neighborhood residents after you voted en masse and waited patiently for the results.

These are the final results for the community center management after the soldiers' vote.

Thank you very much for your participation in this important process and may you have a good week.

 

 

 

Elections in French Hill - now is you chance to have an impact!

In one week's time (20/12/2012) elections will take place for the management committee of the French Hill neighborhood's Community Center. These will be the first elections in more than a decade and will have far reaching consequences on our area. It is important for all the residents of the neighborhood to go out and vote for an activistic committee that is ready to fight against the city on issues that touch all of our lives, especially the dangerous bike paths! There are some candidates who even now have put forth this difficulty as one of the primary issues they will be tackling.

They have published a flyer regarding their election group. Please familiarize yourself with them and with the voting procedures (see the community center's website for further details).

A First Ruling on the Bike Lane Legal Case

Below is a letter that we received from the 'North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life' amuta regarding the ruling of the administrative court case, which they had submitted against the bike path project in the French Hill area. The amuta has given permission for us to publish its letter on the blog. They note that their efforts continue, and that the ruling places them in an excellent position for moving forward especially regarding anything that pertains to the safety issue that stands at the heart of the matter.

Dear Neighborhood Residents,

A ruling has recently been given in the court case of 'North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life (registered amuta)' against the Jerusalem Municipality, regarding the bike path project in our neighborhood we all live in. After receiving an explanation about the ruling from the amuta's lawyer, we would like to inform you about this development.

The first thing that must be noted is that the judge's ruling focused on a general legal matter, and that there was no final decision regarding the specific issue of the dangerous nature of the bike paths in French Hill. Thus the struggle still continues while the ruling has actually given our side a good position to pursue this undertaking. Regarding the general legal matter, the judge decided that the Municipality is permitted to build bike paths without submitting a "taba", as long as this is done within the confines of the public space of the road and according to the safety guidelines of the Ministry of Transportation. For this reason the judge did not give an order for the bike paths to be dismantled on a legal basis. Of course, we had hoped that the safety issue along with other issues, such as the exclusion of the public from the decision making process and the need for the proper planning and management of municipal projects, would be resolved in the context of the legal case. While, unfortunately, this was not accomplished, what has been accomplished is the placement of focus and emphasis on the safety issue by the judge himself. The safety issue was brought up numerous times in the court proceedings because it had become clear to the judge that this, more than any other issue, stood at the heart of the neighborhood's struggle against the bike path project. The amuta submitted an preliminary expert opinion expressing a number of serious safety deficiencies within the project, and the judge even requested that the municipality provide an expert opinion of its own regarding the safety issue. Since the municipality failed to submit its own expert opinion, the judge expressed sharp criticism towards them in his summation within the ruling and subsequently decided not to hold the amuta responsible to pay the city's legal fees for the case due to this behavior. The ruling created legal documentation putting forth doubts and harsh warnings regarding the safety of the bike paths, that give much support to our side for the next step of the struggle. However, the case was not based around the safety issue and therefore no ruling was made about that specific matter.

The next step in the struggle is to now challenge the municipality over the dangers it has put into our neighborhood through the project. Just recently we met with an 11 year old boy, a resident of the neighborhood, who was seriously injured by the defective paths. The narrow width of the path and its high curbs caused his bike pedal to get caught while he was riding in an area whose proclaimed intent is to protect bicyclists. Instead of receiving this protection, he was flung from his bicycle (that was also damaged in the accident), broke his arm and suffered blows to the face and head. He is now starting the school year with his arm in a cast. A similar occurrence also happened a year before to the president of the Hebrew University. But, despite cases of this sort and clear and repeated warnings, the municipality chooses to turn a blind eye to such self evident dangers. The judge himself warned the respondents in a number of the hearings, that until the safety issue has been taken care of, the municipality and even various private individuals within its structure, can be held liable for the injuries caused by the project.

The expert opinion in our hands shows that the bike path project does not follow the instructions of the Ministry of Transportation, and that if it were to follow them it simply could not fit within the confines of the public area of the road (which according to the ruling makes the project illegal). In addition to the expert opinion, which clearly shows the deficiencies in the planning and implementation of the bike paths, the next step of the struggle will include the collection of documentation about troubling incidents like the one mentioned above. This will bring to a convincing integration of professional analysis and hard facts, which the authorities will not be able to ignore. However, to do so we need your assistance on a number of levels, about which we will notify you in due time. The current, most immediate of these needs is reports about injuries cause by the bike path. If you know about any such cases, please notify us and help us contact the relevant parties and collect information along with concrete documentation. We also have a strong need for donations and volunteers to help further the effort. In order to contact us, please write to the amuta's e-mail address: njerusalemneighborhoods@gmail.com.

The court case has left us in a good position to continue our efforts, which can now focus on the primary and most pressing issue - the safety of our streets; However, it will take a concentrated effort on the part of all the residents of the neighborhood to win.

Sincerely,

'North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life (registered amuta)' 

P.S. The ruling is attached for your convenience. 

Residents protest after expert finds bike path project dangerous

The "North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life Amuta" reports that last Tuesday (the 24th of January 2012), it organized a protest on Lehi street against the continued construction of the Bike Path Project, that was revealed in a preliminary expert opinion to be in violation of the Ministry of Transportation's safety guidelines. Excerpts from this opinion were handed out to passersby during the demonstration (see below).

Update regarding bike path court hearing

From "North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life":

Dear neighborhood residents,

On Wednesday the 14th of December, the first court hearing regarding the claim put forth by the "North Jerusalem for Safety and Quality of Life" Amuta against the Jerusalem Municipality's illegal and dangerous bike path project being implemented in the French-Hill and Mount Scopus Area was held. While the main argument of the case is in regards to the fact that the city is constructing the project without submitting the plans to the "Taba" (תב''ע), and without acquiring a building permit, the Judge drew the attention of those present to his concerns regarding the safety of the bike paths through the course of an informal debate.

A respectable showing of residents attended the hearing, which showed the Judge that neighborhood residents do care and are concerned with the issue. You are all invited to the next hearing on the 29th of February at 8:30 am.

Respectfully,
North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life (Registered Amuta)

Bike path project court hearing

A message from the "North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life" amuta:

Dear neighborhood residents,

Tomorrow (Wednesday the 14th of December) at 15:00, there will be the first (and possibly the final) court hearing regarding the legal claim put forth by the "North Jerusalem for Safety and Quality of Life" Amuta against the Jerusalem Municipality's illegal and dangerous bike path project. This will be presided over by the Judge Yoram Noam at the district court house on Salah Al-Din street no. 40. The hearing is open to the public and you are invited to come in order to hear the proceedings and to make a show of presence on behalf of the neighborhood.

Respectfully,

North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life (Registered Amuta)

News paper articles

Articles on the Bike Path Project and the work of the Amuta "North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life" appear in today's "Kol Ha-Eir" and "Yediot Yerushalaim" newspapers.

Meeting on the subject of the bike path project

The amuta North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality has announced:

תרשמו ביומן:

יום שלישי ה–25 לאוקטובר ב–19:00

אסיפה של תושבי הגבעה הצרפתית, גבעת המבתר, צמרת הבירה, ורמות אשכול

נושא: בטיחות השכונות ופרויקט שבילי האופניים

מקום: המנהל הקהילתי

אנחנו רוצים בטיחות לכל!

פרויקט שבילי האופניים מסכן את כולם!

* הפרויקט דן את תושבי האזור לסכנה מתמדת:

1. הפרויקט תוכנן ומיושם תוך סטייה ניכרת מהנחיות משרד התחבורה
2. מנהל הפרויקט מקדם מדיניות מכוונת להפוך את הנהיגה בכלי רכב למסוכן יותר
3. המבנה הלקוי של שבילי האופניים באזור מהווה מכשול לכל הולכי הרגל אך הוא מסוכן במיוחד לאוכלוסיות היותר פגיעות כגון נכים, קשישים, ילדים והורים עם עגלות תינוקות
4. הפרויקט מסכן ישירות את קהל היעד שלו – רוכבי האופניים; רבים מסרבים לנסוע בשבילים מתוך דאגה לבריאותם

* פרויקט שבילי האופניים בלתי חוקי:

1. תכניות הפרויקט לא הוגשו לתב''ע
2. עבודות הסלילה נעשות ללא היתר בנייה

Another protest against the dangerous and illegal bike path project was held today

The "North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life" Amuta reports:

"The Amuta held a demonstration today at 8:15 in the morning around the traffic circle between Lehi Street and Churchill Boulevard. The demonstration was in order to protest against the renewal of the construction of the sub-standard and illegal bike paths in the French Hill area that have posed a threat and nuisance to the public for months. The protest was a success with a wide range of local residents participating, including students as well as bicycle riders who see the flawed structure of the bike paths a danger for bicyclists and an impediment in encouraging bicycles as an alternative means of transportation. Over 500 flyers were distributed to drivers and pedestrians that passed through the area who expressed overwhelming support for the demonstrator's cause."

The message was posted on the Amuta's new Facebook page. The Amuta also stated that they are planning a protest during the evening hours that will take place at some point during the next few days. Details will follow.

Article in "Yediot Yerushaliam" news paper

An article on the problematic nature of the Illegal Bike Path Project in regards to accessibility and parking for the handicapped appears in today's (23 September) issue of the newspaper "Yediot Yerushaliam". An article on yesterday's demonstration will appear next Friday.

Demonstration by the North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life Amuta

Yesterday morning (Wednesday the 21st of September 2011), the North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life organized a protest against the illegal construction of the Municipality's dangerous and substandard Bike Path Project that has posed a hazard and even harmed local residents of French Hill and the surrounding area. The objectionable construction work had just a few days prior reentered French Hill and the local population recognized the need to voice their opposition.

Local residents came out to protest the reentry of the illegal and dangerous bike path project into the French Hill Neighborhood.

The protest took place at the traffic circle between Lehi Street going into French Hill and Churchill Boulevard going up to the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital. Around 40-50 individuals participated in the demonstration bearing picket signs and handing out pamphlets to passing drivers (who were avidly in support of the protest).

The protesters reflected a broad representation of the demographic of the area. Secular and religious Israelis attended, as did representatives of the Arab and Christian communities. Of particular relevance was the participation of members of the population groups most directly effected by the illegal project.

Firstly the project has severely harmed the accessibility of the neighborhood streets and posses an impediment for the elderly and handicapped who were present yesterday. For example, the large concrete dividers stand 50 cm wide and 20 cm tall posing a substantial stumbling block or barrier for members of these groups crossing the street or exiting their cars (not to mention that due to the narrowing of the streets due to the project, no buffer has been left between the parked cars and the passing traffic).

At the same time, the intended beneficiaries of the project, members of the bicyclist community were present to protest the poor planning and implementation that has transpired that ultimately endangers them and makes their cycling far more uncomfortable than before. For example, upon approaching an intersection, the bike paths thrust the bicyclist sharply into the traffic lane. This is particularly dangerous due to the fact that the cars separating the bike path from the street obscure the visibility between the bicyclists and motorists who are subsequently unprepared for each others sudden presence in the same space.

The protest was deemed so successful, that another one is planned this upcoming Sunday at 8:15 in the morning (the 25th of September). The demonstrators will meet on Lehi street in front of the Dan-Hotel and then proceed down to the traffic circle.

Local bicyclists came out to protest against the dangerous conditions forced on them by project that has made the streets more hazardous for them than they had been before.

Letter of protest against the renewal of the illegal construction of the dangerous bike path project in French Hill

This past Sunday (the 11th) the lower section of Lehi street was roped off in preparation for the illegal construction of the municipality's dangerous bike path project, while on Thursday (the 15th) the first incisions were made in the street and sidewalk to this end. In protest to the imminent construction, the "Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life" Amuta sent the manager of the project, Kobi Bartov head of the Transportation & Infrastructure Development Division in the Jerusalem Municipality, the following letter with a copy submitted to the mayor's office:

לכבוד מר קובי ברטוב

מנהל אגף תחבורה ופיתוח תשתיות

עיריית ירושלים,

כיכר ספרא 1

ירושלים

א.נ.,

הנדון: עבודות חדשות במסגרת פרויקט שבילי אופניים תוך שיבוש ההליך בבית המשפט

נדהמנו לגלות ביום ראשון (11.9.11) בבוקר שנתחם ונחסם קטע מרחוב לח''י לשם ביצוע עבודות סלילת שבילי האופניים תוך התעלמות גמורה מרצון תושבי הרחוב. נדהמנו עוד יותר לגלות שהיום בבוקר (יום חמישי ה–15.9.11) כבר החלו בעבודה למרות שנמסר למתנ''ס השכונתי שזה יעשה רק בשבוע הבא.אנחנו רואים בחומרה ומוחים נגד הרחבה זו של הפרויקט בשל הסיבות הכבדות הבאות:

1. פרויקט שבילי האופניים מיושם ללא אישור חוקי ונמצא בתהליך עתירה משפטית בעניין זה: הרחבת העבודה חמורה במיוחד בהתייחס לעתירה שהגשנו כנגד הפרויקט (עת''מ 11–07–31780). בבסיס העתירה עומדת העובדה שהפרויקט מבוצע ללא השינויים ההכרחים בתב''ע וללא היתר בניה שיינתן על בסיס תב"ע מאושרת, אלא מבוצע על סמך "הסדר תנועה". אולם בעתירה הובהר באופן הברור ביותר, שבניגוד למקרה אחר שטענת לגביו (בסילוואן) שם הכיר בג"צ בהסדר תנועה (באופן מוגבל), הרי שבענייננו לא מתקיימים אותם פרמטרים המאפשרים הקמת שבילי אופניים באמצעות "הסדר תנועה". לכן מה שמתחייב הוא אישור תב"ע שתקבע הוראות מפורשות לגבי הקמת שבילי אופניים, אחרת הפרויקט יחשב כפסול מבחינה חוקית.
   
   
   ובכל זאת, היום בבוקר הראיתם כוונה ברורה מאד להרחבת הפרויקט למרות קיום הליך משפטי המערער על עתידו. אם לא די בכך, הרי שבמקביל להתנהלותכם באופן האמור, נוכחנו, כי במסגרת ההליך של העתירה המנהלית בבית המשפט, אתם נוקטים גם במספר תרגילי השהייה על מנת לעכב את הדיון בבית המשפט.
   
   
   למותר לציין, כי הציבור מצפה מגוף ציבורי, אחרי שהוגשה כנגדו עתירה מאד מפורטת, שממנה הוא יכול להבין כי ישנו סיכוי לא מבוטל שבית המשפט יכריע כנגד הפרויקט ויחייב להחזיר את המצב לקדמותו, כי יחכה עד שיקבע השופט את פסיקתו. זאת על מנת שלא יתבזבזו כספי הציבור בהיקף ניכר אם יוכרע נגד הגוף הציבורי. זה במיוחד נכון למקרה זה עקב היקפו הגדול של פרויקט שבילי האופניים אשר מבוצע במספר שכונות בו–זמנית כצעד ראשון לקראת כיסוי חלקים ניכרים של ירושלים, והמשכו לאחר שהוגשה עתירה יוצר סיכון בלתי הולם לבזבוז כספי הציבור בהיקף ניכר.

2. הפרויקט פגום באופן מהותי ומסכן את הציבור: המשך והרחבת העבודות מפוקפק לנוכח העובדה שתכנון ויישום הפרויקט לקוי באופן מהותי כפי שהראנו גם במחקרנו שהפצנו. מעבר לליקויים המשפטיים החמורים שבא כוחנו הצביע עליהם בעתירה שהגשנו, הרי שגם בהיבט המקצועי, הפרויקט מבוסס על מספר רב של סטיות מהותיות מהנחיות בטיחותיות של משרד התחבורה. בין אם סטיות אלו קיבלו ’אישורים’ (שטרם הוצגו בפני הציבור) ובין אם לאו, ככל שמתרבות החריגות ממה שנהוג בוודאי שנוצר מצב של סכנות מצטברות. במצב שבו דבקתם מהתחילה במידות הגובלות בין מה שהוגדר כבטוח ולא בטוח, אין שום הצדקה לעבור מעבר לגבול זה עם החריגות הרבות שנעשו. סטיות אלו מהתקן ייצרו בעיות נגישות ובטיחות חמורות לקבוצות פגיעות כגון הנכים, זקנים וילדים (שמיוצגים בצורה לא קטנה בין תושבי רחוב לח''י). הנחמה היחידה היא שלא רואים כל שימוש בשבילים שכבר סיימתם להכשירם, משום שכל רוכב אופניים בר דעת יכול להבחין, שהאופן בו בניתם עד עתה את שבילי האופניים, במקרים רבים הוא ממש מסכן חיים, והוא ינהג בחכמה אם יימנע מלהשתמש בהם.
   
   
   אופיו הלקוי של הפרויקט כל כך חמור עד שאפילו העירייה הייתה חייבה להכיר כבר בחלק מכשלים אלו. דוגמה מובהקת לכך היא רחוב ששת הימים באזור גבעת המבתר שם הפסקתם את העבודה,תוך הכרה בהכרח לבצע שינויים מהותיים על מנת לתקן את המצב המסוכן שנוצרה על ידי הפרויקט במקום, עקב רוחבו המוגבל של הרחוב (שהוא מסלול אחד המופרד מהמסלול השני בשדרה). מצב דומה או אף חמור יותר צפוי ברח' לח"י שבו יש רוחב מוגבל למסלולים אך במקרה זה אין הפרדה בין המכוניות אשר יצטרכו לחלוף זה ליד זה בקרבה מחרידה. וראוי לציין שהטעון אשר הצגתם שהצרת הרחוב תגרום לנהגים לנהוג בצורה בטוחה יותר פסול. אי–אפשר להגדיל את רמת הבטיחות ברחוב על ידי הגדלת הסיכון למשמשי הרחוב – זה פרדוקס וההיגיון שעומד מאחורי מוטעה.
   
   
   אנו מבקשים לציין, כי יחידים מקרב הציבור כבר ניזוקו מהפרויקט. ביניהם נשיא האוניברסיטה העברית פרופ' מנחם בן–ששון, שהוא רוכב אופניים מנוסה, אשר רצה לבדוק קטע גמור מהשביל שבו היה צפוי שירכבו סטודנטים ופרופסורים. עקב אמונו בעבודת העירייה, הוא נסע בשביל,נתפסה דוושתו בהפרדה הפיזית הגבוהה בצורה בלתי תקנית, והוא נחבל קשה.

3. ביצוע העבודות בשדרות צ'רצ'יל עוד רחוק מהשלמה: התנהלותכם הנוכחית של הרחבת היקף עבודות סלילת שבילי האופניים בפזיזות ותחילת עבודות ברח' לח"י, איננה הולמת במיוחד בהתחשב בעובדה שאתם משאירים קטעים שלמים של שדרות צ'רצ'יל כשהעבודה שם פחות מחצי גמורה. בין היתר נותרה חניית הנכים לפני המרכז לבריאות הגוף והלב של O2 יושבת בצורה בלתי שימושית ואף מסוכנת כבר מספר חודשים. ההרחבה תשאיר עוד קטעים של הרחוב במצב דומה אשר יהווה מטרד וסיכון לציבור ובאותו זמן תשלול מתושבי לח''י כשישים אחוז ממקומות החנייה ברחוב אשר כבר עכשיו מקבלים שימוש מרבי ביום. לנוכח העתירה שהוזכר לעיל, אנחנו רואים בהרחבת העבודה החפוזה ניסיון נואש וראוי לגינוי לייצר עובדות בשטח על מנת להשפיע על הכרעת בית המשפט ואנחנו מוחים על כך.

עקב הנקודות אשר הוצגו, אנחנו דורשים שהעבודה תופסק עד שבית המשפט יכריע באופן חד משמעי לגבי חוקיות או אי חוקיות הפרויקט. אנחנו במיוחד דורשים שהפרויקט לא יורחב ולא ייווצרו ’עובדות בשטח’.אנחנו מאמינים שתכריע השופט לטובתנו בעתירה, ויאשר את דרישתנו שהמצב תוחזר לקדמותו. לכן אנחנו רואים את ההחלטה להמשיך ולהרחיב עבודות שבילי האופניים כבלתי–אחראיים. בהסתמכות על הנאמר,כל פגיעה לגוף או רכוש שתיגרם במהלך העתירה כתוצאה מפרויקט שבילי האופניים, תבוא תחת אחריותך האישית והחוקית וגם תחת אחריות אגף התושי''ה.

בכבוד רב,

עמותת 'תושבי צפון ירושלים בעד בטיחות ואיכות חיים (ע’’ר)'

You can read the court appeal against the project here, and the research carried out by the Amuta in regards to the bike path's substandard construction here.

The illegal bike path construction is returning to French Hill

This past Sunday morning municipal workers roped off the lower section of Lehi street in French Hill in order to start the construction work for bike paths next week. This is despite the fact that the work on Churchill boulevard has not been completed yet containing entire sections that have stood in a half finished state for months. This is also despite the fact that the bike path project has proven itself dangerous to the public at large (for an explanation read here and here while for specific incidents read here and here).

Word has it that the order to proceed onward with this project comes directly from the head of the Transportation & Infrastructure Development Division in the Jerusalem Municipality, Kobi Bartov. The Amuta "North Jerusalem Residents for Safety and Quality of Life" has filed a claim in court against this department based on the discovery that the bike paths are being constructed without any legal authorization. It turns out that the department in question did not submit its plans to the Town Planning Scheme and did not acquire a building permit. Instead it attempted to justify the work as what is known as "traffic arrangements". However, according to the High Court of Justice's definition of the term, projects on the scale of the bike paths do not fit within the scope of such arrangements (for more information on the illegality of the bike path project read here). It seems that this incursion into Lehi street is a desperate attempt by the Transportation & Infrastructure Development Division to expand the area of construction as much as possible while establishing "facts on the ground" prior to the court hearing in the next few months.

Lehi street this past Sunday morning - the municipality wishes to start work next week.

Churchill Boulevard is far from being finished and yet the city wishes to expand work to Lehi street.

This section of Churchill Boulevard has sat in a half-finished state for months since the municipality expanded its construction work to other sections of the street in order to expand as quickly as possible. Now it wants to do so again...

President of the Hebrew University is injured while using bike path

Last Friday the "Yediot Yerushaliem" weekly reported the unfortunate news concerning the President of the Hebrew University - Prof. Menachem Ben-Sasson's accident while trying out the municipality's newly installed bike path near the institution's vicinity. It turns out that Prof. Ben-Sasson, an experienced bicyclist, was riding along when his pedal got caught on one of the large concrete curbs lining the path. Multiple sources (including this blog) had previously warned the municipality that these curbs, ranging in hight between 15-20 cm, pose a very serious threat to bicyclists and are not in compliance with the Ministry of Transportation's guidelines that limit them to 5cm.

Ignoring the underlying issue of the dangers posed by these curbs, the municipality responded to the accident with the following statement: "The Bike Paths are currently under construction and their execution is not yet complete, similarly these paths have not yet been handed over to the municipality and it is not recommended to ride in them until work has been completed. It should be noted that the bike paths are being executed according to the standards of the ministry of transportation and the police. The Transportation & Infrastructure Development division will look into adding signage into the area." It seems that the city wishes to insinuate that it was the University President's own fault for choosing to ride on a bike path whose "execution is not yet complete" and that he should have know better. However, any passerby can attest to the fact that the majority of the bike paths that have been constructed until now in the area, including the one which Prof. Ben-Sasson tried, are in fact structurally complete. The only work left is to provide proper signage and paint the path in the appropriate colors. It would seem that the Municipality itself feels these paths are completely safe, otherwise they would have provided signs indicating that bicyclists should not make use of them yet. Only now, after the accident, have they even conceded to look into the prospect of adding adequate signage.

The section of the bike path that the President of the Hebrew University rode on. Construction of the path is complete. There is no signage indicating that people should not use it.

The other end of the same path. Again it is complete and without any signs or warnings informing people otherwise.

Yediot Yerushalayim Today

Be sure to check out the article on the bike lane fiasco in today's edition of Yediot Yerushalayim!