Street Closure Trials in Yerushalayim, Tel Aviv

The municipalities of Yerushalayim and Tel Aviv will be experimenting with pedestrian-only streets starting next Monday, according to The Times of Israel.

The projects, which are being launched separately, will see several major streets in the capital closed to vehicular traffic during evening hours during the summer, while in Tel Aviv the focus is on side streets with an eye toward permanent closure.

In Yerushalayim important streets such as Hillel, Agripas, Azza, Emek Refaim and Derech Beit Lechem will be closed twice a week in the evening until the end of August.

The city said the project was designed to boost restaurants and stores that have suffered heavy financial losses during the coronavirus shutdowns. The Health Ministry on Tuesday announced that restaurants may reopen next week while observing social distancing and other restrictions.

Tel Aviv officials said the street closures are intended to examine the environmental effect, and was not tied to the coronavirus crisis.

Included the list of 11 street segments to be reserved for pedestrian traffic were: Nahalat Binyamin Street, between Kalischer and Rothschild; Ha’arba’a Street, between Karlebach and Da Vinci; Daniel Street, between HaCarmel and Herbert Samuel.