Jerusalem Grand Prix

Yes, you read that right. Formula One has come to Jerusalem this weekend for the "Peace Road Show." This is truly bizarre. It isn't a race, it's an exhibition for peace! I've planned a reconnaissance mission tomorrow and I'll report here what I learn.

At a cost of NIS 15 million (CAD 4.1 million today), plus two days of road closures (a la Obama's visit and the Marathon), your average Jerusalemite is none-too-impressed.  The route is a loop that runs along the west side of the Old City just above the Kidron Valley along the south side of the fancy Mamilla Mall, down King David (street where the fanciest, most-storied hotel in West Jerusalem, the King David commands the view of the Old City and American VIPs stay), along Karen Ha-Yesod to David Ramez (a road with a built in...I think it's called a chicane - I only remember this because some poor soul (mechanic or course volunteer) was killed at one of those in a Vancouver race years ago) out to Derech Hebron and back up the Kidron Hinnom Valley. Off the top of my head I can name at least 10 buses that run down just one street of the route. But, as usual, it isn't just the race route that is blocked. Leaving the uni today, I took the bus to the tram and Road No.1 (down the greenline) was blocked to south bound (city centre) traffic from fairly far north. No one was getting anywhere near the race site by car...there wouldn't be any parking anyway so there really isn't any point...but if, say, you wanted to get home, passing through the centre of the city, well, that wasn't an option either. Go around...no all the way around the west side!

On the tram with an Israeli friend, we noted that the tram was full of tourists, Israeli tourists. They looked the part, but it was confirmed when the tram took the corner at Damascus Gate and passed by the Old City...the parents implored their children "Look at the walls!"

So, once again if you are a rider of the bus in Jerusalem you might be riding a storm of frustration when you are trying to shop tomorrow on the west side. The upside being that at least it's summer so the grocery stores don't close quite as early on shabbat, you might just get your weekly errands done. Of course, on the east side, they'll be trying to get to prayers just as the race gets going.

Posters advertising the exhibition

Mamilla intersection (King David at Agron) photo credit: E Gotfryd

And all this hot on the heels of the Jerusalem annual light show, which I attended last night. It's held in the Old City and it has a Hallowe'en cum summer fair atmosphere. It was a unique experience to walk through the Old City at night, down narrow alleys filled with people only to come upon a bottleneck where three juice stall hawkers were competing (at full volume) to move their stock. The light shows ends tonight.

A scene from the light show

After the light show, I walked home because my bus was stuck in this row of traffic that wasn't really moving.

Derech Agron. Traffic after the light show

Traffic in Jerusalem is unlikely to improve anytime soon. There just isn't an obvious way to improve the flow around the Old City and there isn't space to expand the roads by adding lanes. Cars are really expensive to purchase in Israel -- the taxes are extreme -- gas is (I've been told) the third highest price per litre globally, and there is no free parking or parking (really, it's a lot like Vancouver). But, still, Israelis want to drive. That has to be, in part, attributed to a transit system that makes you feel like you are in an abusive relationship: just when you think things are going well (buses show up on time, regularly) you get slapped in the face (you wait 30 minutes for what is normally 10 min service, you cram like a sardine into the bus, the driver lurches down the road playing the brake like a staccato note). You cannot rely on the bus to deliver you on time anywhere: some days you'll be delightfully prompt, other days you'll be hopelessly tardy.  Lucky for me, I have a flexible start time so on most days I don't have to worry. But, if I really have to be somewhere I always add in an extra half to 3/4 of an hour depending on how far the journey is. And, there is no accounting for a security concern (these happen on the tram) where someone forgets their lunch box or school bag at a tram stop and they have to stop the line and call the bomb robots in to blow up the bag. Um, Mom, I'm sorry, I left my laptop bag at the tram stop...!