If you want to know why Jerusalem so desperately requires a mass transit makeover, say the builders of the city's new light rail transit (LRT) system, all you need to do is "stand at the corner of Jaffa Road and King George Street at 5PM on a weekday."

Jerusalem is not only Israel's capital, but also its largest city, with a population of 800,000. The first Jerusalem streetcars were proposed by Theodor Herzl, visionary of the modern State of Israel on a visit to the city in 1898. Twelve years later, Palestine's Ottoman rulers initiated a tender for the project, for it only to be canceled with the outbreak of World War I.  

Better Late Than Never
"Nearly a century late," says Arie Sommer, Israel's Tourism Commissioner for North and South America, "the first train is expected to make its maiden voyage along the 13.8-kilometer Pisgat Ze'ev-Mt. Herzl line by late 2009. The Old City, downtown and Yad Vashem will be the first tourist-frequented sites to benefit.

Ultimately, a total of eight clean, efficient, electric-powered light rail transit lines will whisk Jerusalemites and tourists from the Pisgat Ze'ev suburb in the North to the Malha mall at the city's southern reaches. Convenient stops served by equally-as-efficient feeder buses will serve the Old City's Damascus Gate as well as downtown's Mahane and Ben Yehuda shopping districts. Jaffa Street, today a major artery for city buses, will be transformed into the city's third pedestrian mall; businesses will be invigorated and pollution reduced, according to LRT planners. An additional line will be the much-anticipated high-speed rail link to Tel Aviv.

Work on the Jerusalem terminus for this service has shifted into high gear. Although unfinished, the rapid transport system has already made its mark on the Jerusalem landscape with an imposing suspension bridge that now greets visitors as they enter the city. The towering white structure designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and spanning Weizmann Boulevard, will allow trains unhindered access to the permanently frenetic central bus station. Gesher HaMeytarim has quickly become the capital's latest landmark, particularly when illuminated at night, its looming 386-foot spire visible from far and wide.

Since 2007, public transport and taxi-only lanes have begun to turn the tide in favor of bus riders and those who prefer to cab it, particularly between the lively German Colony and downtown shops and restaurants, where parking is increasingly limited. In future, cyclists and pedestrians will also reap the benefits of the system say its planners, as cycling lanes and sidewalks are to be "integral" components of Jerusalem's new public transportation landscape.

Pedestrianizing The Old City
The square-mile Old City of Jerusalem is the chief attraction for visitors to Jerusalem, with its holy places of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. While most of the Old City is narrow lanes, there are some vehicle routes, used primarily by Old City residents. Israel's Ministries of Tourism and Transportation are currently working on feasibility studies on making the entire ancient walled town a pedestrians-only zone. "Obviously," says Sommer, "we want to do everything to make the city more attractive and accessible for tourists, but the Old City of Jerusalem is a neighborhood where people live too, so we need to study how other ancient towns in Europe - such as Dubrovnik, Carcassonne and Venice - have achieved the right balance for both residents and visitors."