Title: Traffic Congestion Rankings in Jerusalem’s Neighborhoods
Date:
In the bustling cities of Israel, navigating through heavy traffic and roadblocks has become the norm. According to data compiled by the navigation app company Waze, the most congested cities in 2022 are primarily located in the central region. Leading the list is Tel Aviv, followed closely by Rishon Lezion, Petah Tikva, Herzliya, Ramat Gan, and Holon. Surprisingly, Jerusalem also ranks high as the second most congested city, despite completing railway construction work years ago. The reasons for this congestion in Jerusalem are mainly related to urban planning.
In an effort to understand the most challenging neighborhoods to travel by car, Waze conducted a special project. The focus was on Jerusalem, specifically the neighborhoods surrounding highway exits. Waze representatives immersed themselves in the complex traffic of the capital city on two different days, Thursday and Sunday, at the peak morning rush hour. This allowed them to gauge the intensity of traffic when schools are in session and workers head to their workplaces.
On Thursday, the tangled streets of Ramat Eshkol emerged as the most difficult neighborhood to navigate within Jerusalem. It took nearly ten minutes to cross Haim Bar-Lev Street at an average speed of 9 km/h. However, the analysis conducted on Sunday revealed a significant improvement, reducing travel time to less than half, with an average speed of 20 km/h. In Rahavia, residents and passengers faced a similar frustrating experience. Despite slight differences in average speed (ranging between 5-7 km/h), it took eight minutes to traverse Gaza Street on both days.
Sunday’s analysis provided further insights into the traffic congestion in Jerusalem. With a journey duration of 4 minutes and an average speed of 12 km/h on Thursday, Psaga Street in the neighborhood seemed relatively comfortable. However, on Sunday, the journey shortened to just 2 minutes, with drivers achieving an average speed of 14 km/h, resulting in a significantly smoother experience.
Curiously, some neighborhoods yielded conflicting results, demanding further investigation. Kiryat Moshe, for instance, witnessed a traffic jam lasting a staggering 14 minutes on Sderot Herzl on Sunday, while the same journey took only 5 minutes on Thursday. Similarly, Hebron Road in the Bekaa neighborhood offered drastically different driving experiences on the two days.
Overall, navigating the streets of Jerusalem poses challenges, despite certain neighborhoods appearing slightly easier and faster to traverse. Most journeys are characterized by heavy to very heavy traffic loads, with only two instances where drivers managed to exceed the speed limit of 20 km/h.
With the increasing infrastructure works across Israel, addressing the issue of traffic congestion remains a top priority. Improvements in urban planning and transportation systems are crucial steps towards creating smoother and more efficient travel experiences for residents and visitors in the State of Israel.