Even at age 80, with 26 consecutive years in office under his belt, Tel Aviv-Yafo Mayor Ron Huldai won’t allow himself time to sit back and relax without considering his next step. He is Israel’s most significant and passionate reformer in the transport sector, having introduced unpopular changes such as eliminating traffic lanes and parking spaces in favor of bus lanes and bike paths. He is also identified as a political independent, often taking positions opposed to those of the government.
In a comprehensive interview with "Globes," Huldai discusses his relationships with Ministry of Finance and Transport officials, the reforms he opposes, parking, dealing with business owners, the massive Sde Dov construction project, and the cost of living in the city he manages with a strong hand, ranked consistently among the most expensive cities in the world.
"The government is trying to establish an authority that won’t be able to function"
It was Huldai who, about 20 years ago, attempted to import Western transport reforms to Israel, in which a professional transport authority, consisting of local authorities within a metropolitan region, manages its own transport affairs. In Israel, management is centralized under the Ministry of Transport, where allocation of resources is subject to political pressure. Huldai succeeded in mobilizing both neighboring authorities and government ministries, but the move was blocked by then-Minister of Transport Israel Katz, followed by subsequent transport ministers who would not agree to relinquish their authority. Yet now, ironically, just as the reform has come up again in the pending Arrangements Law, and just when it has a real chance of passing, Huldai opposes it vehemently.
"They played a trick on us. They said, 'We're in favor' but they're in favor of something completely different from the reform we wanted," Huldai says. "They're trying to establish a non-functional authority. Either make a change or there's no point in doing it - that's the whole story," he concludes. "There are exceptional transport systems in the world, because someone thought ahead, planned, and implemented them. But here, there are no transport goals, and that's no accident. If a minister doesn’t set a goal for the travel time between Ashdod and Tel Aviv a decade from now, there’s nothing to measure their performance against."
Huldai says that he himself tries to set measurable goals, and even meets some. This year, he says, car use in Tel Aviv fell below 50% for the first time, to 47%. "It didn't happen by itself, we have 90 kilometers of bus lanes compared with about 30 kilometers in other cities in the metropolis, along with 183 kilometers of bicycle paths, that will reach 250 kilometers by the end of my term. But if you read the law, you will see the government has taken over the authorities it is proposing to establish."
The government has 20% of the voting power, so it's not exactly a takeover.
"It’s inconceivable that someone would hold elections and a town near Paris would be chosen to run the metropolitan authority. It’s unimaginable that [suburban] Kiryat Ata could be chosen to run the Haifa metropolitan authority. The only one giving up something for this authority is Tel Aviv. The state says that the authority chairman will be elected by the representatives - that's not serious. And it's not a political matter; the Shafdan [Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant], for example, has been controlled by the Tel Aviv central authority for 26 years."
But maybe that's exactly what's bothering the other authorities. At Forum 15 [the Israeli Forum of Self-Government Cities] which you founded, a meeting blew up because you opposed holding elections for chairman.
"I'm sick of gossip. That’s irrelevant. I don't understand what you're asking me."
I’m asking you if the story is Ron Huldai or the transport system.
"How is it Ron Huldai? In three years, I won't be here, and in five years I might not be alive. I'm not the issue. Almost a decade ago, they started talking about unifying authorities, and throughout those years, I said I was ready to unify authorities and even resign to make it happen. You’ve got to understand, this metropolis needs to function as a single transport system that serves the whole. The fact that there are too many authorities, each one with its own interests, hinders rather than helps. If you want to create a bus lane that passes through a neighboring city, that mayor says he won’t let it because it will ruin his main street."
Huldai is also angry about using bus lanes as carpool lanes (because people here are so enslaved to cars"). "What can you do… there’s no technology that can check how many people are sitting in a car. So, how can we enforce it? Two motorcycle police officers riding between Netanya to Tel Aviv, and no one cares. By contrast, within Tel Aviv, anyone who enters a bus lane knows they will be caught because there are cameras. The bus lanes in the city flow freely, but when you leave, there’s no bus lane."
"I told them it wouldn't work." Giant parking lots stay empty
Huldai, it seems, does not trust the government to advance transport plans, and he sometimes even seems to despise the moves being made by government ministries. He has sharp criticism for the fast lane construction on Highway 5 and Ayalon Highway 20, and for the adjacent giant parking lots at Shefayim and Rishon LeZion. According to the State Comptroller's report published last month, the state is heavily subsidizing the fast lane, contrary to promises that it would be financed and operated by the private sector.
"The fast lanes project for the rich was so 'successful' that Israel Katz turned it into a flagship project, and now they’re building huge parking lots at Shefayim," he says, adding, "I haven't seen another project like this anywhere in the world. If you want to develop public transport, you have to develop it from Tel Mond, Netanya, Ramle, and Lod so that a person can get on public transport and get to Tel Aviv. When you build a parking lot along the way, you’re telling people in advance, 'You have to go with a car.'"
Huldai stays on the attack, saying, "About a million people travel on the Ayalon Highway each day. Let's say 400,000 enter Tel Aviv. What good do these parked cars do? Does this deal with congestion? Is that what those giant monsters are for, ruining the landscape? That the state spent a fortune on? And they say this is a contribution to public transport?"
With construction of Tel Aviv’s light rail, especially after the Maariv Bridge was taken down, the government was concerned about "terrible traffic jams," says Huldai, and therefore decided that parking lots on the city’s outskirts with shuttle buses were needed. "I told them in advance that it wouldn't work, but the Ministry of Transport invested a huge amount of money, and the shuttles are empty. If you don't understand the system and you're not a professional - and today there are no professionals at all in the Ministry of Transportation - then how will it succeed?"
Do you feel as if there is no one to work with at the Ministry of Transport?
"What does 'to work with' mean? I need to know what to work on. 26 years ago, when I came in, I didn't understand the potential of bicycles. There was an organization here called Yisrael B’shvil Ofanayim ('Israel by Bike') and I met with them in [Rabin] square and rode a bicycle. We didn't have a penny, but already in the first term, we created bicycle paths when we renovated Rothschild Boulevard. And look, it's a miracle, suddenly there were cyclists because there were paths.
"This vehicle became very significant in the city 20 years ago. We do have a Ministry of Transport, so we told them that we needed a definition for what a bicycle is. Otherwise, everything with a pair of wheels would be called that, even if it goes 70 kilometers per hour. Then we asked for traffic signs, and that takes time. Today, after so many years, we'll be able to enforce [regulations for] two-wheeled vehicles for the first time. When we made the Bograshov Street bicycle lane, the number of riders rose five times over. We simply need to get things in order here."
According to Huldai, transport is a matter of worldview. "Right now, there’s no one to integrate, understand, sense, measure, or organize things properly. Instead of addressing problems gradually, we act only when there’s a crisis. We build three light rail lines simultaneously, which creates a crisis for the city. Nonetheless, I, as mayor and also as someone who runs for elected office, must still have the courage to say, 'Go ahead and do it, in spite of everything.'"
Haim Glick, former CEO of NTA [Metropolitan Mass Transit System] said the municipality delayed work on Allenby and Ibn Gabirol streets before the elections.
"Who delayed Glick from starting on Allenby a year earlier, as he was supposed to? Not me. And you didn't ask why the Purple Line was postponed for a year because of Transport Minister Miri Regev, who was unable to make a decision because of 23 Likud voters in Kfar Shalem. By the way, that same person you mentioned said that without Huldai there would be no Red Line."
That's true. Along with that, the Green Line is expected to open in 2030. Are you disappointed with the pace?
"I happened to come across a document today that I signed with the state in July 2000." Huldai pulls out the document and reads: "'After lengthy discussions on the topic, it has been agreed to initiate the Tel Aviv mass transit system project. The first tender will include the Red and the Green lines.' This is from 24 years ago. How can you say it was me who delayed it?"
"It also states that 'The [light rail] line will be designed to allow for a future upgrade to metro system technology.' That’s what was written. They shortened the line [the underground section] to save a few cents, so now there’s no possibility of an upgrade. That’s the difference between signing with the Israeli government, and what actually happens. The absurdity is that the people in those positions today are wondering, 'Why did they do this nonsense of a light rail instead of a metro,' but I was there in the discussions, and I saw them tell Beiga [former Minister of Finance Avraham Shochat] there would never be demand for a metro."
The [above-ground] light rail also doesn’t always meet expectations. "Do you know why only a few people ride it? Because it goes slow! There are lots of passengers in the underground section. We also see improvement in pedestrians, cyclists, decreased road accidents. Within Tel Aviv, transport on the bus lanes is very reasonable. Many residents don’t bother to move their cars."
Free parking driven by political motives
Parking is another Tel Aviv policy that differs significantly from the neighboring municipalities. The city recently decided to adopt a parking reform that was to have gone into effect nationwide, but was postponed for two years. Nevertheless, Tel Aviv will implement it now: the city will be divided into zones meaning that holding a parking permit does not guarantee free parking throughout the city. In addition, the municipality is limiting the number of parking permits for individual households, and raising parking prices.
"I made a mistake 26 years ago," says Huldai, "I was new. Although I already knew what I was doing, the late Moti Morel, who was my campaign manager, said to me, 'Listen, you have to get elected. Promise free parking,'" he recalls. "The next day, I said I regretted it and was going to cancel it, but I was already committed. It's true that I did this free parking thing in Tel Aviv for political reasons, I admit it. And ever since then I've been looking for the opportunity to cancel it."
The Ministry of Transport justified postponing the law, saying that improving public transport and incentives for its use are not yet sufficiently in place.
" Ah, and in the coming year they’re going to make those changes. That's what's going to change now," says Huldai, dripping with sarcasm. "Come on now, really. Isn't it clear this is a result of incompetence and ineptitude? They’re simply helpless in the face of reality."
Are they scared?
"Forget it, I don't want to get into what I think about 'gems' like these and the others. It's none of my business, I don't want to talk about it."
But you said it.
"No. I want to see action from government ministers in all areas. Do you think the so-called 'achievements' in education stem from a plan? No. Because there is no plan, you can neglect, allocate budgets to here or there, and everything falls apart. After all, it's not just a matter of transportation. If I appoint a person because he's my friend and not because he is a professional suited to the position, that’s a problem."
How do you explain the gap between the way transport is perceived in Tel Aviv and the way it is perceived by other authorities in the metropolitan area and around the country?
"Some things are not because of Ron Huldai. This is the country's main city and it has many relative advantages. On the other hand, during the 90 years before I took office, this municipality was bankrupt and lived at the mercy of the government or others. So, to those who say that actions have no effect, I say, that's not true. Actions are very important, how things are done, and how they're managed. If we hadn't persisted, this wouldn’t have happened."
Huldai mentions an unpopular decision, in which 70 parking spaces on Bloch Street were taken away in favor of a bicycle lane. "It made waves in local politics and there was a lot of noise about it, but I stood by the principle. I’m not perfect. I also have to make compromises."
There are 400 parking spaces in the new city hall building.
"What's wrong with that?"
Some might argue that the municipality isn’t sticking to the agenda it promotes.
"There is a bug in the State of Israel, in the entire system, called the 'company car.' This didn't start with me and it’s everywhere. The problem is that canceling it is a matter with the Histadrut [General Federation of Labor], the Finance Ministry, and labor agreements, and a thousand and one things. Does anyone expect the Tel Aviv Municipality to enter a dispute with the city and the municipal employees to not have company cars? Come on now, really.
"We are consistently adding parking spaces in construction projects, and on the other hand, eliminating street parking in favor of public transport and public space. We have a plan, and within 3-4 years this city will be like a European city in the 1980s and 1990s. There will be three train lines and 69 stations here, which is more or less a station within 500 meters of your home."
Everything getting pricier in one go. "I don’t have, so I take."
Clearly the reform is correct from a professional standpoint. The question is whether it is right to promote it all at once, which also includes limiting individual parking permits and raising prices [on parking].
"The answer is yes. Yes."
This comes together with a retroactive municipal tax increase, cancellation of school trips, increased costs for after-school programs, community centers, sports facilities, and assistance for children with learning disabilities. All this during a time of war and an economic downturn. Can you understand why this process is being criticized?
"I haven’t heard the process being criticized, because I don't know what the process is, and because you can't compare apples and oranges. I understand it’s hard for residents, but when I could, I gave discounts, and now there's a war and I can't give the same discount, so I take. What can you. I look at the whole pie, and if necessary, I raise taxes, because no one will ever say to me, 'Lower the level of service,' or 'Close the community centers.'"
While many enjoy the city's transformation and its accessibility to public transport and bicycles, others claim the volume of infrastructure and housing construction makes it difficult for travel, housing, and small businesses.
"Everyone is right. That's the situation. I don't know anyone who, while renovating their apartment, hasn’t had their lifestyle disrupted. There's no such thing. But, is Ron Huldai the light rail project? No, sir. After all, the train serves Rishon LeZion, Bat Yam, Herzliya - the entire metropolis. I can say what I am responsible for: 'Na'im Busofash' [Shabbat buses] in 14 local authorities, with 1.5 million passengers a year. I get no state assistance there. I get interference from the state, which doesn't serve its residents."
I assume you walk around Ibn Gabirol Street, where the municipality is located, as well as Ben Yehuda, Arlozorov, and other streets. What are you doing to make it easier for the businesses that are closing on these streets [due to light rail construction]?
"I don't know how to answer these questions anymore, because they will quote everything I say without understanding the context. We have done and are doing everything, and I admit that we’ve not been able to reach the point where we can help properly, because we don't have cooperation from the Finance Ministry and the state."
"Ibn Gabirol is not the same street it was when I came to the city, it's a completely different street. Rents were 50% lower than streets nearby; today, the prices are the same. And the businesses on the street are not the same businesses that were then, they have changed and adapted to what's happened in the city. I'll put it this way: a business owner on [lower rent] Jerusalem Boulevard, for example, will have his property value increase and will also do good business."
Without taking away from the courage it takes to make unpopular moves, in 2022, according to municipal data, almost 7,000 people net left the city.
"You have to know how to read the municipality's website. First, you didn't count the new immigrants who entered the city. That's positive immigration. Second, immigration has always meant more births. I don’t know of any data about people leaving Tel Aviv -- there is always turnover. On the day I took office, there were 348,000 residents, today there are 500,000. And I'm not talking about the fact that we don't count the foreign workers, who are also residents here and don't appear in the statistics."
Even if you're right, what about the fact that Tel Aviv is becoming an increasingly expensive and difficult city to live in?
"I've been hearing this since day one, and the city has been through a lot since then. There are towers here where each apartment is worth NIS 12-20 million. It's not because of me, it's because of you. Because you voted for those who want a free market, and when there is a free market, there are gaps, and when there are gaps, there are those who can buy and those who can't. It's not because of the mayor. At the same time, there are residents here who save thousands of shekels because they can get around the city without a car.
"In 2008, [city council member] Dov Khenin pointed a finger at me and said, 'The cost of living here is because of you.' I'm also to blame when cottage cheese goes up and when vegetables go up. I'm to blame for everything."
Florentine matures along with its residents
Many of the world’s famous major cities have gone through a process of maturation, increased affluence, and gentrification, with young people, creative people, artists, and the like slowly displaced, leaving these vibrant cities devoid of diversity. When asked if he fears Tel Aviv will also suffer a similar fate and leave its great success in its wake, Huldai replies, "That's the cycle of life." "Many cities have prospered and become 'so-so' cities, and neighborhoods also change all the time. That's the cycle of life. Tel Aviv did experience an aging population phenomenon, and then the young people came in. Every city, every street, are like humans, with stages in life."
Florentine, says Huldai, is a living example of this cycle of life. "Today's Florentine is completely different from the neighborhood it was when I became mayor. It was a neighborhood for singles only, young people, street parties, noise. I thought it would be better to keep it that way, to be a neighborhood for young people."
Why?
"Because I didn't need to build a school, and there were no public spaces, and there were a thousand and one things. But it turns out that these young people began staying, and when they stayed, they asked for a kindergarten, and they asked for a community center, and they asked for a school. And I… where can I get land? I’m handling it and doing it, but I can't widen the streets. Even in New York, today's Harlem is not the Harlem of my youth. There are always movements like this."
Usually, local authorities, certainly Tel Aviv, are in no rush to approve thousands of housing units at the same time. At Sde Dov, the municipality actually went along with the Israel Land Authority, and a tender was issued to build 7,200 housing units simultaneously. The municipality is expecting huge revenues from this neighborhood. You have quite a bit of land there, as well as a land improvement levy.
"If I approve housing, does that benefit municipal revenue or go against it?"
It seems to me that at Sde Dov, when land is being sold at astronomical prices, it's not bad for you.
"What do you mean it's not bad for us? How can it be good for us? I have never stopped housing construction in Tel Aviv-Yafo for economic reasons. Never. I am constantly concerned about creating employment. I opposed the evacuation of Sde Dov airport - it was a colossal mistake. And today, of course, we see what's happening during wartime [in the absence of another local airport]. So now, I’m considered guilty for approving housing at Sde Dov. Do you get it?
"This year, in the midst of the war, we issued permits for 5,000 housing units and it may reach 6,000 in another month. These are one-time revenues, but because of these I have 5,000 apartments, with 5,000 families, and I have to provide education and culture, while property taxes never cover the expenses of an average family. I looked at Tel Aviv - where else would I have the possible opportunity to have 7,000 apartments built all at once? Where? Nowhere else! This is a unique land division that didn't exist before, and was created because they unjustifiably shut down Sde Dov [airport]. I’ll be very happy if we market all the apartments, and I’ll be very happy if there are children running around this city, and I have to take care of opening kindergartens. What do we live for? To see children outside."
"Reinvention instead of learning from others"
Some developers claim that even after changes to the Metro Law, the metro taxes to the municipality and the state still make planned projects unprofitable.
"They are right. I think the Metro Law was passed too fast; it isn’t ready. I don't think it is the thing to grant the opportunity as to whether or not to build a metro. The Finance Ministry can’t determine urban planning just by looking at stations, it doesn't work that way. Despite this, I repeat that I wish they had built just a metro here from the start, and not a light rail, because light rail lines are much more disruptive, and they reach capacity quite quickly.
"What did I tell you at the beginning? With us, instead of learning from what others have done, we invent something new because we are 'smarter.' So, there’s always a law that needs to be made fast, and that creates a law which is neither meat nor milk, and won’t contribute the way it should. Why should the residents of our region be burdened today just to benefit people 30 years from now?"
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 15, 2024
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