Action Station: Getting there

Egged is not solely responsible for planning its routes.

By OREN KLASS
EGGED IS not solely responsible for planning its routes. Sharing in the responsibility are representatives from City Hall and a team from the Jerusalem Transport Master Plan (JTMP), a public body that works with the municipal Department of Transportation and is funded by our taxes. The JTMP is responsible for all mass transportation in the city. Regarding the confusing situation bus travelers may often find themselves in because of a lack of maps, route plans or timetables, help appears to be on the way. According to JTMP spokesman Shmuel Elgrabli, a plan for placing maps at or near almost all of the city's bus stops is already in the works, but because the new light rail system will greatly affect current routes, it is yet to be decided when to put the maps at the bus stops. "In the meantime," he said, "we are weighing two options: to place interim bus routes in the near future, or to wait a little longer until the train is completed [in 20 months] and then put up the finalized maps." Elgrabli said that a joint municipal Transportation Department-JTMP committee is expected to decide on the matter "in the next few weeks." "In addition to preparing the maps, a change is under way aimed at coordinating all the bus routes in Jerusalem with the new mass-transit system," said Elgrabli. "This includes the light rail system as well as a new 'Blue Line' for upgraded new buses that will run 'express' routes through the city." Calling this the Blue Corridor, Elgrabli said the line will run from Derech Hebron near Gilo to the center of town, and then to Strauss, Yehezkel and Golda Meir streets and on to Har Hotzvim. In addition, Elgrabli said that the municipality is considering adopting a NIS 30 million plan, which would act as a pilot project for other cities around the country, whereby all bus stops would be fitted with computer screens to enable the traveler to go "on-line" to find out changes in bus schedules in real time. Not only that, but because each bus would carry its own Global Positioning System (GPS), travelers will be able to pinpoint the exact location of the bus, letting us all know, once and for all, whether or not we have time to go get that quick cup of coffee. Although only in its initial stages of research in Jerusalem, similar computerized systems are already functioning in some cities in France and Germany. NETANYA'S DEPUTY Spokeswoman Lidya Talby responds: "Following an inquiry into the matter of [Raymond Selwyn] by the city of Netanya's Legal Department, it is deemed that [Selwyn] indeed parked in a designated blue and white zone, and therefore was required by law to purchase a parking ticket. With all due respect to the fact that [the petitioner] is a volunteer, it does not entitle him to park illegally and without a parking ticket. Therefore, there is no legal ground to rescind the parking fine." One may still be inclined to question whether allowances should have been made to account for age (Selwyn is in his early 70s); for the fact that Selwyn was volunteering (and has been every week for years) and was asked to arrive early; that the city itself is low on police manpower and therefore requested his service? Might the city be inclined to at least reduce the fine as an act of good faith? "There is no place at all to present the issue in this manner," responded Talby. "A municipality is a supervised public body. It does not make the rules, but acts according to them. The municipality is required to [base] its decisions by relying on state laws or by-laws. There is no connection between this and [Selwyn's] blessed volunteer work." As for the police, providing parking accommodation for all its volunteers is not feasible and is outside its jurisdiction. "We have over 2,000 volunteers," explains Deputy Commander Shuki Golan, head of operations for the civilian sector in the Central District. "There is no way we can provide free parking for all of them; and anyway, it's a matter for the municipality. The police cannot give free parking to people."