Today, we’re going on a bike ride through Israel’s most delightful city, but it starts in the suburban town of Petah Tikva. A typical residential area with both old and new developments, schools, and parks. It’s like the outskirts of Moscow. To get to Tel Aviv, we can take the noisy roads or go through the park along the river.
The primary task is to reach the Yarkon River. It resembles the Yauza River but connects all the major cities around Tel Aviv, and has a continuous bike path leading straight to the sea.
Alongside a fairly large road, there’s a sidewalk with rest areas and even a bike path. Clean-ups aren’t too frequent, thus sand accumulates.
But there are also well-maintained areas. Each segment along the road has slightly different design solutions. Here’s where the bike path starts with sidewalks on the sides.
Bike Art.
At intersections, the bike path ends, turning into a regular sidewalk, which is a bit disorienting. It resumes beyond the trees. This segmentation creates conflicts with pedestrians and reduces riding ease. A proper bike crossing is needed, extending the path to the road.
On the sidewalk, there’s a 20-meter bike path that stops at a parking pocket and then continues. Any sensible person would just ride on the road.
Even though the environment isn’t well suited for heavy pedestrian traffic, you can find crossings with safety islands upon exiting the road. Beauty.
On the other side of the bridge, there’s an uncontrolled crossing at the highway exit. Cars are just starting to shed their wild speed.
🇮🇱
In one spot, the pavement is heavily covered with sand. The bike sometimes slips, invoking memories of riding in the snow during winter.
How many bike tracks are frozen in the concrete?
Roadside stores. It’s seen that all advertising is targeted at drivers: large billboards and logos.
Bus stop.
The Mobike fits perfectly in the scenery.
The Yarkon River. Here lies a huge linear park with various animals and places to relax.
A newly constructed riverside with a bike and pedestrian zone.
A cool wooden playground.
Bike-pedestrian path.
Drinking fountains at every step, not forgetting the animals. Bike parking is provided.
Palm grove.
For the local Expo, a pedestrian overpass was constructed. It’s nice, open, with a convenient circular ramp accessible by bike. And with palm trees.
City bike rental.
Its main feature is that bikes are attached sideways to the station, with what looks like a child seat at the back.
A bike path suddenly begins.
After a while, the sidewalk ends at such a descent without a crossing. Had to wait for a gap to cross.
Returning to the riverside, I continued on the bike path. Wide, smooth, with a buffer between the pedestrian zone. Sports grounds on the right.
Bike-pedestrian intersections.
Despite the intended separation, cyclists ride where convenient, and people stroll where they find themselves, as at first glance, the zones seem equivalent.
Descending into central Tel Aviv, a pleasant oasis between different directions.
Scooters are parked at designated spots.
This is a questionable solution for organizing bike infrastructure. A stripe is simply painted on the sidewalk.
With such an approach, it’s impossible to organize node crossings. They will end at intersections and then reappear. The stripe takes space from the sidewalk, creating conflict with pedestrians.
A delight to see. A quiet street of shared movement for bikes and cars with a 30 km/h speed limit.
The bike lane bends under the stop.
Bike crossing.
Neither pedestrians nor cyclists follow the markings.
A pump for bikes at the bike rental station.
Heading towards the sea through the alleys of the White City.
Tel Aviv has a magnificent new promenade. There are toilets, showers, and clean sand. Right in the city center within walking distance.
Very pleasant and high-quality landscaping.
And along the entire promenade runs a bike path, probably the most picturesque you can find here.
Concrete entry to pergolas for those with restricted mobility.
Wind catchers.
My Bombtrack.
After the beach, it’s necessary to wash off the sand.
Hotels and restaurants line the shore.
Of course, the bike path isn’t endless.
Bike parkings at the sports ground.
A student using the drinking fountain.
Tel Aviv’s “My Street”. Promises beauty.
This is how it looks now.
Here comes the construction.
Very pleasant textures.
Street with a counter bike lane. For bikes, asphalt is used, while pavers are for cars.
Local bike parking.
If you look closely, you can see a cargo bike.
Overall, there are quite a few bikes here.
Evening traffic jam.
Rothschild Boulevard. It functions similarly to the Boulevard Ring in Moscow, but with a bike path organized in the middle of the boulevard, not as bike lanes on the carriageway.
Parts of the streets were blocked off to create a lively public space with cafes and bars.
Isolated bike path with buffer reduction in entry points.
But it breaks at intersections again. I’m not sure how it was intended, but apparently, one must teleport to the bike path.
However, the isolation is cool. A fast and simple solution.
The bus station is the most grungy place in Tel Aviv. It’s a huge shopping center with giant ramps to the upper levels where boarding takes place. Loads of minibusses, perpetual smells, and the neighborhood is populated by illegal immigrants from Ethiopia.
Ethiopian quarter with a bike path in the middle of the street. Establishments have labels in Amharic.
Here’s another piece of the bike path that popped up.
The bike lane starts from the sidewalk, after which you must go through the car…
…then hop back onto the sidewalk as the lane ends.
This is very similar to the approach of creating bike infrastructure in Russian cities. It’s present but selectively done, making it inconvenient to use.
A designated parking space for scooter rentals.
A very convenient bike path near the square.
A guy on a fixed gear stopped to roll a cigarette.
The bike lane gets interrupted again, leaving the cyclist on their own in the world of pedestrians and cars.
Carsharing spot.
Bike shop.
Bike path on Rothschild Boulevard. The trees effectively divide the zone into two parts.
Waiting for the traffic light.
Sunset boulevard.
This is the most stylish but meaningless bike path.
Separate asphalted pieces of the bike path on the sidewalk near the building facade. And they aren’t connected. It’s pointless. The bike path should have been on the road side, with a bike crossing at the intersection.
How many bikes can fit in one car space?
In the evening, the streets come alive as everyone commutes from work and errands.
An island wide enough to fit cyclists.
New towers.
Finally, take a look at the new bike-pedestrian bridge over the highway and railroad tracks, passing in the channel’s course. It allows barrier-free crossing and passage above.
The bike path runs along one edge and is separated from the pedestrian zone by decorative stones.
Ramp from the bridge from the new quarter’s side.
With darkness, exquisite lighting turns on.
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