Транспорт и безопасность на дорогах

Movement of Goods, Ports and IMEC

• •We will streamline the distribution systems and promote rail-based solutions for moving goods from the ports to distribution centers and markets, and position Israel as a central link in the IMEC corridor and in international trade. To this end, we will act to complete the railway segment between Beit She'an and the Ma'ayanot Valley to Jordan, and act to expand capacity and streamline the Haifa Bay ports.

Decentralization and Smart Management

• •We will act to devolve transportation powers to the local authorities, through the Metropolitan Authorities Law and additional powers for the other authorities. We will adopt advanced technological tools to analyze the information that already exists in the system, in order to create an efficient system with a high level of service and transparent service indicators.

Devolution of Powers and the Metropolitan Authorities Law

• •We will complete the legislation of the Metropolitan Authorities Law quickly by applying the continuity rule and examining its passage during the first session of the 26th Knesset. We will devolve the management of public transportation - planning the bus network, advancing preference lanes, terminals, traffic management and traffic lights, and connecting the various modes of transportation. At the same time, the Ministry of Transportation will remain solely responsible for setting national policy, fares and supervision of the system.

Restoring the Professional Backbone of Israeli Transportation

• •We will put an end to the era of political appointments in professional positions. Professional positions in the Ministry of Transportation and the companies subordinate to it will be filled solely according to proven qualifications and skills, and not according to political or party affiliation, and we will quickly fill vacant key positions - so that the Ministry of Transportation and the execution companies are managed by the best professionals.
• •We will act to improve execution capabilities, build professional capabilities and provide management tools for carrying plans out, among other things through digitization of transportation projects and synchronizing them with the data systems relevant to infrastructure and housing planning. We will promote real-time transparency of the current execution status of infrastructure initiatives and the various transportation projects.

Yashar! for Transportation and Road Safety

• •Yashar! looks ahead and sees a transportation system in which the distance from home to places of employment, health, education and leisure is measured in minutes rather than hours; in which citizens choose public transportation because it is fast, reliable and a real alternative to the private car; and in which Israel knows how to plan, budget and execute many mega-projects in parallel, with quality and on time.
• •We will devolve powers to the metropolitan authorities and the local authorities, invest the missing resources in infrastructure and mass transit, prioritize the serving and working sector in transportation and create cheap and reliable public transportation, restore a professional management backbone, lead in the regulation of future transportation, and ensure a safe, worthwhile and good travel experience for all citizens of Israel.

The Person at the Center

• •Advancing transportation solutions begins and ends with the person at the end of the line. It begins with a professional and expert management layer, free of political, personal or sectoral affiliation, and ends with a decision that focuses on the experience of the person at the end of the line.

Strategy, Infrastructure and Execution

• •Good transportation begins with long-term planning based on load distribution, system efficiency and the ability to execute. The infrastructure investment gap in transportation is huge and growing; we will ensure that infrastructure receives the resources it needs, carry out mega-projects in parallel, with quality and within defined timetables, and ensure that decisions are made by a professional and experienced level.

The Travel Experience at the Center

• •We will give public transportation national priority. We will change the regulation so that the travel experience and service reliability for the serving and working sector are the top priority. We will update the incentive system for public transportation operators in order to reduce the phenomenon of buses not stopping at stations, issue regulatory guidelines on the design of bus stops in order to give better protection from rain and sun, and make information available to passengers, so that it is clear and understandable to all users.

Massive Investment in Infrastructure and Advancing Execution

• •We will anchor in government a multi-year national transportation plan, which will be based on the existing strategic plans and will define priorities, goals, key projects and a long-term budgetary framework. The National Planning Cabinet will track the progress of projects of national importance, examine compliance with timetables, budget and milestones, and act to remove barriers and reach decisions.
• •We will accelerate the development of the metro and light rail in the metropolitan areas, and complete a high-speed rail network. We will ensure the prioritization of the "Metro" project and act to identify challenges and barriers early, in order to complete it in the shortest timetables, while securing the required sources of funding and advancing the renewal and construction projects near metro stations.
• •We will move to a project management model that will allow several mega-projects to advance in parallel, and we will promote incentives for contractors - bonuses for early completion and meeting milestones, and fines for delays and negligence. We will streamline regulation, remove barriers and prioritize completing projects that could cause broad and lasting delays, and in particular we will promote accelerating the railway electrification projects, the fourth track on the Ayalon, and streamlining the signaling system.
• •We will establish stable, multi-year funding sources (spanning government terms) - a dedicated development budget, betterment levies around stations (transit-oriented development) and partnerships with the private sector - in order to ensure budgetary continuity for the projects.

Managing Demand and Congestion

• •We will promote solutions to congestion that do not depend only on expanding infrastructure, and include smart demand management. We will expand the network of public transportation lanes.
• •Alongside these, we will responsibly and gradually examine congestion pricing mechanisms in the most congested metropolitan areas - provided that every shekel collected is returned in full to investment in public transportation and alternatives to the private car. The goal is one: to return to citizens the time that traffic jams take from them.

Improving Drivers' Working Conditions and Training Quality

• •We will allocate the necessary resources to improve the working conditions of public transportation drivers, with an emphasis on proper refreshment stations and rest times. In addition, we will ensure that bus drivers undergo mandatory safety training, with an emphasis on careful driving of electric buses in order to reduce the number of road accidents and protect passengers.
• •As part of our commitment to restoring security and order to the streets, we will act to maintain security and order in public transportation as well, and allocate dedicated forces to protect the security of passengers and drivers.

Fair Fares

• •We will act to replace the existing fare policy, which reflects sectoral and political preference, is unfair to the serving public, is not based on economic logic and increases the phenomenon of fare evasion. As part of changing the fare policy, we will ensure that public transportation is economically accessible and affordable for the entire population, giving priority to the contributing and serving public, senior citizens and teenagers.

Innovation and Advanced Technologies in Transportation Management

• •We will make Israel a global leader in the regulation of future transportation: we will promote pilots and rapid adoption of autonomous vehicles, drones and aerial deliveries, and adaptive traffic lights based on artificial intelligence to distribute loads.
• •We will make full use of the data that exists in the ministry and the companies, while fully protecting citizens' privacy, to improve service and for joint research and development with the private market and academia. Transportation that does not yet have a solution - we will solve with innovation.

Road Safety

• •We will increase road safety enforcement. As part of this, we will strengthen the Traffic Police and act to place traffic police officers on streets and roads during rush hours, examine changes to the powers of municipal inspectors in order to add an enforcement force multiplier, and increase the use of electronic enforcement measures.
• •We will pool relevant databases into a current and continually updated national and metropolitan picture of the situation, for the purpose of providing quick responses to hazards and infrastructure damage and for preventive action in high-risk sections.
• •We will regulate the area of electric two-wheeled vehicles - bicycles and scooters - which have become a major factor in injuries and accidents in cities. We will act for clear regulation of age, speed, licensing and insurance, alongside consistent enforcement, in order to protect riders and pedestrians alike.

Encouraging Walkability

• •We will encourage walkability as a means of getting around in cities. As part of this, we will ensure that safe and convenient walkability is integrated into planning decision-making processes, and we will incentivize local authorities to install shading and to create a built separation between pedestrians and two-wheeled riders, in order to preserve pedestrians' safety. In addition, we will act to promote and regulate safe parking facilities for two-wheeled vehicles that will prevent theft and riding on sidewalks.

Education for Transportation Literacy from a Young Age

• •We will expose children and teenagers to public transportation, two-wheeled vehicles and walkability in the education system. We will combine the advantages of these modes of transportation and provide the tools and skills needed for independent and safe travel, alongside early acquaintance with public transportation, getting used to it and instilling positive perceptions of it. We will examine the transportation services and the planning of the environment around educational institutions, in order to increase travel to and from schools by modes of transportation other than the private car.

Aerial Redundancy

• •We will advance a response to the national need for aerial redundancy. The additional airfields will increase competition and ensure availability and functional continuity, in accordance with advanced models practiced in the Western world.
• •The location of complementary airports will be examined in depth, based on all the data and on creative solutions that take into account the state's needs versus the region's constraints and quality of life.
• •Alongside this, we will act to restore competition and availability following the suspension of flights by a series of commercial airlines, in a joint process with the Israel Airports Authority and the various ministries.

Planning and Connecting the Periphery

• •We will act to include operational and transportation infrastructure in the various planning and construction processes and to update statutory plans, in particular for communities and cities that have experienced a significant increase in the number of housing units built in them in recent years and have been left without a proper transportation solution.
• •We will determine that national-level planning and budgeting of public transportation will also be based on a comprehensive systemic view, and that decisions on significant projects and investments will also be examined according to their contribution to the transportation network as a whole and to improving door-to-door travel. Accordingly, we will prioritize moves that strengthen the connection between modes of transportation, enabling the system to operate as a single network.
• •We will synchronize housing plans with transportation planning, so that a new residential area is planned in advance to connect to the mass transit network - and will not depend on the private car by default. We will prioritize projects that shorten travel time from the periphery to centers of employment, health and education, define a binding minimum service level - frequency, hours of operation and travel time - for connecting every community to its anchor city, and update the intercity line planning mechanisms. Investment in transportation in the periphery is a national growth engine, which expands the labor market and lowers the cost of living.