There's an apartment, but no bus: this is why Israel is stuck in traffic

Israel builds over 50,000 apartments annually, but public transportation fails to keep up with new neighborhoods. Residents are forced to use cars, worsening traffic jams. The problem is especially acute in the Bayit BaPark quarter in Or Yehuda, where buses do not reach the northern part.

Israel builds over 50,000 apartments annually, but public transportation fails to keep up with new neighborhoods. Residents of new quarters such as the International Quarter in Lod, Harish, and Bayit BaPark in Or Yehuda are forced to use cars, even when projects initially envisioned giving up private vehicles. In the Bayit BaPark area, bus routes do not cover the northern part, where stops remain empty, and residents have been seeking a solution from the Ministry of Transportation and the municipality for almost five years. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of bus routes has barely changed between 2023 and 2025. The State Comptroller pointed out insufficient coordination between planning bodies and transportation structures as early as 2019, but a follow-up inspection in January 2024 showed that the shortcomings have not been resolved. The organization "Lobby 99" proposes to legally require developers to assess residents' dependence on private cars and not approve projects that do not meet minimum transportation requirements.