Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg and Minister of Transportation Miri Regev signed today (Tuesday) a transportation accelerator agreement between the Beit Shemesh Municipality, the Ministry of Transportation, and the Ayalon Highways Company.
This is a strategic agreement that defines a multi-year work plan to promote public transportation infrastructure in the city and accelerate the implementation of projects in the coming years.
The agreement, signed following Government Decision 986, changes the budgeting model for public transportation projects. Under the new model, the state will directly fund the planning and implementation work, while the municipality will be entitled to a financial incentive of up to 101% of the project costs, subject to meeting the timelines and implementation goals.
As part of the agreement, nine bus priority lanes (BPLs) with a total length of approximately 28 kilometers throughout the city were approved for planning and implementation. In addition, four additional lanes with a total length of approximately 9.2 kilometers were approved for planning.
The agreement also includes the construction of approximately 4 kilometers of new cycling paths, the placement of 75 new sheds at bus stops, the installation of 20 digital information boards by the end of 2026, as well as a multi-year plan for the construction of 19 public transportation infrastructure facilities - terminals, overnight parking lots and operational facilities that will be built gradually by 2040.
In addition, a technological enforcement system will be established on the priority lanes, funded by 85% by the Ayalon Highways Company and 15% by the municipality. Enforcement revenues will be used to maintain the public transportation lanes and associated infrastructure.
Minister of Transportation Miri Regev: "Beit Shemesh is one of the fastest-growing and most developing cities in Israel, and therefore it needs a modern, efficient and accessible transportation system that will be able to respond to the needs of today and tomorrow. The Ayats agreement signed today is one of the most significant transportation agreements signed in the city, and it expresses our commitment to get ahead of growth and not catch up with it retrospectively.".
""We are establishing approximately 28 kilometers of public transportation routes, advanced terminals, smart traffic lights, bike paths and digital enforcement systems, to enable Beit Shemesh residents to reach any destination faster, safely and comfortably.""
Beit Shemesh Mayor Shmuel Greenberg: "The Mayitz agreement is significant news for the residents of Beit Shemesh and for the future development of the city. Beit Shemesh continues to grow at a rapid pace, and investment in advanced public transportation infrastructure is a necessary condition for maintaining the quality of life, accessibility, and connection between all of the city's neighborhoods. I thank the Minister of Transportation Miri Regev, the Director General of the Ministry of Transportation, and the Ayalon Highways Company for the partnership and the understanding that Beit Shemesh already needs solutions today that will suit the city of tomorrow.""
Ministry of Transportation Director General Moshe Ben-Zaken: "Minister Regev's vision of 'Connecting Israel' does not only involve connecting cities, but also connecting within the cities themselves, between neighborhoods and employment centers, between educational institutions and commercial centers, and between residents and opportunities. In Beit Shemesh, we are practically implementing the policy of inverting the transportation pyramid, in which public transportation, pedestrians, and cyclists are at the top of the priority list.".
CEO of Netivei Ayalon, Orly Stern: "The Mayitz agreement in Beit Shemesh is a large-scale urban project, combining public transportation routes, terminals, smart traffic light and traffic management systems, bicycle paths and advanced enforcement infrastructure. Netivei Ayalon is proud to lead, together with the Ministry of Transportation and the Beit Shemesh Municipality, a move that will strengthen public transportation, improve the safety of road users, assist in the promotion and expansion of the city, and allow city residents to move more efficiently, quickly and conveniently.""
