While the Ministry of Transportation is trying to run ahead and get the cable car project underway, it seems that the Haifa municipality wants to put sticks in the wheels and apply pressure to prevent the cable car from operating on Saturdays. After the test rides began on the cable car on Friday, it became clear that the Haifa municipality did not approve its operation.
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Cable car
(Photo: Private)
Haifa City Engineer Ariel Waterman sent a warning letter to Ilan Donsky of Kidan, the project management company of Netivei Israel, and who is responsible for the construction stages of the cable car, detailing a number of safety deficiencies, emphasizing that only after repairing the defects can the municipality approve the cable car operation.
Defects: No signage for pedestrians, problems with gates, non-standard sidewalks and more. Waterman wrote: “Without regulating the deficiencies, some of which even involve the risk of cable car users, it will not be possible to issue a graduation certificate and open the cable car to the public.”
Sources in the Ministry of Transportation say this week that the real reason for the municipality’s conduct is the insistence of the Minister of Transportation, Meirav Michaeli, to operate the cable car on Saturday. According to them, the members of the ultra-Orthodox factions in the city council do not want it to operate on Saturday, so they are doing everything in their power to put pressure on the Ministry of Transportation.
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Cable car
(Photo: Gil Nehushtan)
This week we contacted the person who received the letter from the city engineer, the project manager on behalf of Netivei Israel, Ilan Donsky from Kidan.
Donsky: “I can say that they took the city engineer and made him a messenger to talk about an offense and demanded that he find reasons underground. Out of the whole list there are two things that are of real interest and the rest are not in the railway project. There is nothing safe here.”
Make order in the areas of responsibility.
“We are a project management company responsible for the construction phase. As soon as an operating license is granted, we will finish our part in the project. After the recent crisis between the Ministry of Transportation and the municipality, the project moved to Netivei Israel in the second half of 2020.
“I will mention that all the permits have already been given by the Haifa municipality. These are things, some of which are related to the period of the establishment of the Gulf Central Station. Netivei Israel is not an address to deal with these things.
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Meirav Michaeli
(Photo: Ido Erez))
What did you do with the city engineer’s letter?
“We are trying to check what engineering matters can be addressed and are trying to coordinate treatment with the municipality. Only individual sections of the document are relevant to the treatment.”
Where does it stand now?
“We are currently continuing the process of operating the cable car, which will take another two weeks. After that, we expect all the approvals to be completed in order to obtain the operating license. There are positive echoes of these trips and we are trying to reach an understanding with the municipality.”
When will you be able to start the cable car?
“The run will end in another two weeks and in the last week of the month we wanted to get an operating license and open to the public. The technical matters can be completed within two weeks.”
Can not the municipality be forced to give a Form 4?
“This is a legal question.”
Do you know the city engineer?
“Yes. Waterman is a decent man. I spoke and we tried to get to a list of issues that need to be addressed. Clearly he will not say that they forced him. Because of my appreciation for him and a positive desire of Netivei Israel to move forward, we are willing to do things he asked.
You claim these are idle claims, so how will you handle them?
“If they say a flower has bent left instead of right, we will try to replace the flower. In any case, we will try to treat and resolve the sections.”
What were you told at the Department of Transportation?
“The minister wants to operate the cable car on Saturday and she stands her ground on the issue for the benefit of the residents and citizens of the state.”
The municipality insists and claims that there is no connection to Shabbat.
“They can say what they want. But there is the timing of the letter and the way they respond. There were early tours, in which they did not raise anything about deficiencies. Suddenly after the Sabbath issue arises a letter of deficiencies? Strange timing. And what else the local committee chairman Michi Alper, the latest signing in the chain of approvals, fell silent and cut off contact. “
What do the municipality say?
The municipality reiterated this week that there is no connection between operating the Carmelit on Saturday and issuing a letter of defects.
The municipality said: “The report speaks for itself. We are sorry that instead of repairing what needs to be repaired, the company prefers to attack the city engineer who fulfills his role and professional duty.”
A senior city official chose to speak out strongly against Minister Michaeli: “Our transport minister has received legal advice from her office that does not allow her to open the cable car on Saturday. She does not want to go bad in the eyes of her secular public, so she blames the mayor for not opening on Saturday It has forgotten that this is a facility that is operated and budgeted by its office. “
The same source adds: “Michaeli realized that the costs of operating on Saturday are above and beyond anything she imagined. She is looking for a ladder to get off the tree, and is looking for a useful idiot to serve as a ladder for her. But the mayor of Haifa is not ready to be her ladder.”
Minister Michaeli and Klish are expected to meet this coming Monday to find a solution to the cable car crisis.
Statements by senior municipal officials against the minister are expected to lead to a particularly charged meeting.