New Bike Lanes Aim to Make Tel Aviv “Amsterdam of the Middle East”
The Tel Aviv municipality inaugurated the first section of a 110-kilometer cycle path network that will connect the metropolis with its surrounding satellite cities: Holon, Bat Yam, Ramat Gan, and Bnei Brak. The residents of these areas will benefit from a commuting option to Tel Aviv which avoids contributing to the traffic and pollution that plague Israel’s commercial capital. Sylvan Adams, a Canadian-Israeli billionaire philanthropist and cycling enthusiast, funded the project in addition to the city’s new velodrome. The city hopes the new path will help turn Tel Aviv into the “Amsterdam of the Middle East,” in reference to the Dutch capital, which is considered the world’s most cycle-friendly city. Tel Aviv already has around 140 kilometers of bicycle paths, and Jerusalem municipality revealed plans, as well, to pave 80 kilometers of bike lanes by 2023.