As 2014 comes to an end, the State Comptroller’s Office released its report addressing matters pertaining to local government. Among the categories contained in the latest report is the level of air pollution in the Jerusalem Central Bus Station.
The Jerusalem Central Bus Station opened in September 2001 and it remains the main transportation hub of the capital. The station is ten stories and has a significant impact on the environment in the area. Unlike most stations in Israel, the bus platforms in Jerusalem are located indoors, permitting passengers to wait in the station until boarding a bus. Hence, passengers get on and off buses from inside a closed area and not outdoors as is the case in most cities around the country.
Tests conducted by inspectors of the Environmental Affairs Ministry document air pollution levels in the state pose a health risk to commuters. The pollution levels are the highest in the nation.
There are Environmental Ministry regulations that are intended to set pollution limits in the station and the surrounding area. In 2005 the ministry and Jerusalem City Hall learned no pollution tests were conducted in the station. The pollution levels on the platform where buses pull in and out were not checked but the city and national agency did not take any action. An air pollution monitoring station was only implemented in 2012. The comptroller holds Jerusalem City Hall and the Ministry of Environmental Affairs responsible for the unacceptably high level of pollution. The city and national ministry blame one another.
In November 2012 the ministry imposed financial sanctions under its authority from the Clean Air Act but until February 2014, the period of the end of the audit, no corrective action was taken. The comptroller calls on both the city and national agency to take corrective action immediately.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
The Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC has an extensive system of vents to remove bus fumes; it’s not perfect, but has been working well for the last several decades. Jerusalem should consider a similar system in the CBS.