Will more people in Dubai catch on to merits of metro-riding, ditch the car, and reduce their carbon footprint? We’ve already established that the Emiratis are not the most enthusiastic walkers; this can be attributed to the region’s crippling heat, as well as a simple cultural phenomenon. This has led to one of the world’s […]
Legs? Who needs them when you can drive. Maybe this is why diabetes rates in the Gulf region are among the highest in the world. We already know about the terrible rates of road accidents in Saudi Arabia, the dangerous practice of car drifting, and the admiration for gold-plated cars. Now, a new study finds […]
You can lose your life cycling on the roads in Israel. Almost once a month, a cyclist gets killed by a car by a drunk or negligent driver. Despite the risks, the sport is catching on like wildfire. Bonnie Eshel, president of the Israel Cycling Federation says biking in Israel today is super-dangerous: “We live […]
Is the solution to Lebanon’s reliance on carbon emitting personal vehicles as simple as a two-wheeler? [image via: mozzoom] One hundred and fifty cyclists demonstrated how easy it could be to cycle through Beirut on Saturday morning, starting at Biel and going to the Luna Park – Manara and back. The eco-friendly protest, led by […]
Dubai Metro works on expanding ridership and cutting down on personal vehicle usage, adding three more stations last week. [image of one of the Dubai Metro stations via: PakistanHousing] The Dubai Metro system, which already carries over 100,000 passengers a day, expanded to three more stations last week in an attempt to increase ridership even […]
If you’ve ever braved the streets of Cairo, you know that every time you cross the street there as a pedestrian an adventure is in store. Cairo, unfortunately, is almost synonymous with traffic congestion, and all those drivers want to get where they’re going – fast. But if there were less cars on the road […]
According to the blog 360East, Amman is about to adopt a Bus Rapit Transit system and make plans for installing light rail, two important steps to break Amman’s 30-year love affair with the private car. Having lived in Amman in summer 2006, I can attest that buses are a mess. They are very cheap but […]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNqEkIjLxdc[/youtube] Around two weeks ago, the Israeli Ministerial Committee for Legislation decided not to support a bill that would encourage bike riding as transportation. The bill would have mandated the inclusion of bike trails in urban plans, allow bikes to be taken on intercity public transportation (like trains and buses), and pave the way for […]
When it comes to transportation around Tel Aviv, there are a number of alternatives to driving a car. For longer commutes, riding public transportation with Dan or Egged buses helps reduce the amount of pollution. For shorter commutes, there is the option of going by foot or the ever-popular bicycle. While the bicycle provides a […]
Do you ever get the feeling that every time you close your eyes, someone in Europe is doing something brilliant for the environment? Well, the residents of Vauban, Germany live in a suburb where most streets are off-limits to cars and the shops are mixed in with housing. The town’s 5,500 people are packed into […]
Millions of Muslims go on the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina every year. A new high speed train planned by Saudi Arabia is bound to make the journey smoother, cooler, and much more environmentally-friendly. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has long been thought of as a country where white gowned sheikhs drive luxury […]
(View of parking lot below Azrielli Center in Tel Aviv) They giveth and then taketh away: The recently Annual Report issued by the Bank of Israel, has devoted an entire chapter to the excessive use of leased company vehicles by employees, which are clogging up the country’s motorways and contributing greatly to the amounts of […]
There is little in the architecture of a city that is more beautifully designed than a tree.
Masdar’s PRT pod cars. The playground of the rich, Abu Dhabi, is not just a place for playing kick-the-golden-can. Instead of simply finding ways to spend oil-money on futuristic gadgets and grandiose monuments, there is a lot of interest providing proving grounds for sustainable solutions and new urban paradigms. Personal Rapid Transit: Our very own […]
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of living in or visiting Turkey, you’ll find it’s very hard to get lost off the beaten trail. The public transportation system there is so well oiled; bus owners of private buses or the smaller minibuses –– the dolmus –– are so well organized, you can literally scoot across […]