Road Safety Authority Warns Ayalon Fast Lane Poses Severe Deadly Risk
The National Road Safety Authority warned Ayalon Highways CEO Orly Stern that the Ayalon fast lane is a critical hazard, citing five severe accidents and two deaths in three months, following a crash that injured 17 people.
The Director-General of the National Road Safety Authority, Gili Cohen, sent an urgent warning on Monday to Orly Stern, CEO of Ayalon Highways, designating the fast lane on the Ayalon Highway as a new high-risk hazard. The warning follows a troubling series of traffic accidents reported since the lane opened.
Cohen presented alarming data regarding the first three months of the lane's operation, highlighting five severe accidents at its merge points, including two fatal collisions. In all five incidents, a vehicle or motorcycle crossed the yellow line or separation bollards and was struck by a vehicle traveling in the fast lane, resulting in two fatalities.
Infrastructure and Enforcement Gaps
Describing the unique traffic arrangement, Cohen noted that the high-speed bus lane runs directly adjacent to heavily congested regular lanes, separated only by thin physical markers without a designated safety shoulder. While the bollards are intended to deter lane-jumping, they fail to completely prevent dangerous crossings.
According to Cohen, the current setup increases both the likelihood of driver error—driven by the temptation to bypass traffic jams—and the severity of outcomes due to significant speed differentials. Emphasizing the Safe System approach, he stressed that roadways must be forgiving enough to absorb human errors without resulting in fatalities or severe injuries.
Recent Crash and Demands for Action
Concluding his letter, Cohen urged an immediate meeting involving engineering and planning officials from Ayalon Highways, the police, and the road safety authority. He also requested all preliminary monitoring data and evaluated design alternatives prior to the discussion.
The warning comes just a day after 17 people were injured in a major collision on the southbound Ayalon Highway near the Rokach Interchange. Footage showed a school transport minibus attempting to force its way into the public transit lane through the yellow separation bollards, colliding with a bus and crashing into a concrete barrier.
The minibus driver was evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv in moderate condition, but his status later deteriorated to critical. A 17-year-old girl sustained moderate injuries, and 15 others suffered minor injuries.
