In about two weeks, the school bell will ring across Jerusalem. But before asking whether the classrooms are ready, whether security guards have been assigned and whether crosswalks have been repainted, there is a far more basic question: how exactly are people supposed to get there? Jerusalem is entering the school year after a summer in which even a simple drive across the city has become a gamble with time. Infrastructure works, excavations, road closures, shifting lanes and traffic jams can turn a journey of just a few kilometers into a trip whose end time is impossible to predict.
For parents, this is no longer a general complaint about traffic. In the morning, they need to get a child into the car, reach the school, find somewhere to stop and then continue to work. In the afternoon, they have to make the same journey in reverse, precisely when thousands of other parents, school shuttles and buses are doing the same thing. You can know when you leave home. In Jerusalem this summer, it is much harder to know when you will arrive.
And the biggest concern is that what drivers are dealing with now may only be the preview. Once schools reopen, school transportation, parent traffic, teaching staff and the full workday routine all return at once. If August already feels like this, September 1 could turn the morning and afternoon rush into a citywide test of nerves.
How Will Jerusalem’s Roadworks and Traffic Jams Affect the Journey to School?
Jerusalem’s infrastructure projects cannot simply disappear for the start of the school year, and many of them are ultimately intended to improve transportation in the city. But the promise of a better future does not shorten the school run today. During this transition period, residents are driving through a city that is changing while they move through it, and parents must build their schedules around a reality in which even a familiar route can suddenly become a bottleneck.
What Is the Jerusalem Municipality Doing Ahead of the School Year?
On the other hand, the Jerusalem Municipality says it has completed extensive preparations for the opening of the school year. These include renewing hundreds of crosswalks, addressing hazards around educational institutions, cleaning public spaces, improving road markings and signage, and preparing to reinforce municipal supervision at intersections and pedestrian crossings during peak hours.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion notes: “The opening of a new school year brings great excitement for tens of thousands of the city’s students, teaching staff and parents. The Jerusalem Municipality is investing significant resources to ensure that every student reaches their educational institution in a safe, clean and protected environment. Municipal operations teams are working around the clock, from painting crosswalks and renewing safety railings near schools to refreshing security and cleaning arrangements. We wish all Jerusalem students a productive, successful and safe school year.”
Is Jerusalem Really Ready for the Start of the School Year?
That will be the real test. Crosswalks can be repainted, sidewalks cleaned, inspectors deployed and security guards prepared, and all of those steps matter. But they only become relevant after the student and parent have actually managed to reach the school.
Inside the school gates, the municipality may be ready for the bell. On September 1, we will find out whether Jerusalem outside those gates can make it there on time.
