To Fight Congestion, Israeli Highways Set to Implement Carpool Lanes

Israel’s Highway 20, also known as Ayalon Highway, is set to implement high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes as of October 4, Israel’s Ministry of Transportation announced Wednesday. The new carpool lane will be implemented from north Tel Aviv to Netanya, a coastal city approximately 30 kilometers to the north. Cars with more than one passenger will be able to use the new lane.

The new lane is intended to reduce traffic congestion and motivate drivers to carpool with additional passengers. According to data by the Ministry of Transportation, each private vehicle on Israel's roads carries 1.2 people on average, driver included. The number of private vehicles on Israel's roads rose by 16% in recent years, from 2.46 million in 2014 to 2.98 million in 2018. Israel’s Highway 2, a highway stretching along the coast from Tel Aviv to the northern city of Haifa, will also implement a carpool lane as of October 4, but it will not reach Tel Aviv. The new lane spans 22 kilometers from Netanya to the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Hasharon, the ministry said in a statement.

In June, Amsterdam-listed navigation technology company TomTom International BV ranked Tel Aviv as one of the most congested cities in the world.