An hour to Talpiot, four hours home

One more grievance: the buses. Let me give a real example rather than a general complaint.

A few weeks ago I walked out to Talpiot, the industrial area, to pick up a cordless drill. It should have taken me an hour. It ended up taking three or four.

Everywhere, there was construction.

Getting home

On the way back I tried to get a bus. The buses simply were not coming at anything near the frequency they used to. It was extremely hot.

Eventually I got on one. It was a diverted route — it did not go where it used to, or close enough to where I wanted to be. Trying to make sense of the diversions was a headache.

Eventually I got home, exhausted.

What Talpiot looks like now

All the little businesses I used to frequent in Talpiot — a lot of those stores had closed down, being replaced by construction sites, or by more amorphous high-rise buildings. The same pattern is described from the other end in shuttered shops, and nothing offered.

What that afternoon summed up

That afternoon summarised for me what has gone wrong with this city.

There needs to be more housing. I am not arguing with that. But the transition is coming at a huge cost for residents.

And I think what creates the massive feeling of letdown is that the municipality creating and driving all of this is not even bothering to really engage with the population, or to provide alternatives. Everyone can see with their own eyes what is happening. But we are kind of asked to look away, towards some future that has not manifested yet, and to assume that this is all sensible policy making.