(live here) – Between the "Pel Yam Windows" building in downtown Haifa and the Haifa court complex is a central and critical passageway – but for years it has been regularly blocked by parked vehicles. The area, which serves as a potential escape route and daily passage for office workers, suffers from neglect, lack of enforcement, and most importantly, indifference from the municipality.
The "Pel Yam Windows" complex, also known as City Windows, next to the Haifa courthouse, is a bustling area – with dozens of offices, visitors, lawyers and public servants. A shared passageway runs between the two buildings, which is supposed to allow free and safe access to the huge parking lot below, which has about 1,300 parking spaces – but in practice, the passageway has become a dangerous bottleneck. Private vehicles park on the sidelines, blocking the road and creating a real risk in the event of an emergency.
"This crossing is not a decoration – it is part of the safety infrastructure of the place," says Amir Yaakov, CEO of Flam Windows, in a conversation with Lipa. "If, God forbid, a mass event, a fire, or even a suspected terrorist attack occurs – there is no way to reach the people with the vehicles who are constantly blocking the road, and there is no one to talk to."
Lack of clarity – and enforcement that evaporates
The main problem, it turns out, is not just illegal parking, but lies in the lack of a clear definition of the area. When Amir Yaakov contacted the Haifa Municipality with a request to check whether it is a public or private area, he was met with a response reminiscent of the familiar game of ping-pong: no clear answer was given. "If it is a private area - why are private vehicles and even public employee vehicles parked there?" he asks, "And if it is a public area - why is there no supervision or enforcement there?"
"We're asking for simple answers: What is the status of this crossing? And if there is a real safety risk, why are we waiting for a disaster to happen?" asks Yaakov. "The feeling is of neglect. No one takes responsibility, and life goes on as usual until something happens, and then everyone starts looking for someone to blame."
A shared passageway leading to such a central parking lot cannot remain blocked or restricted at the whim of irresponsible drivers. The danger here is not theoretical but real. Evacuating a parking lot with thousands of people in an emergency requires full accessibility and maneuverability of rescue, fire, and police forces. Any delay could cost lives.
According to sources in the complex, several requests have already been made to the municipality, but without a concrete response. The installation of posts to prevent illegal parking has also been hampered by a lack of legal clarity regarding ownership of the area.
Demand for immediate action
The demand is to determine once and for all whether the area is public or private. At the same time, to restore order: to stop illegal parking, to allow proper and safe passage.
The Haifa Municipality informed Haifa:
"These are private parking lots, and therefore the municipality does not operate in them."
These are private parking lots, but escape routes have an impact on the functioning of municipal security and rescue forces.
The municipality's response and its evasive spokeswoman are a crime.
That the municipality and the old man alongside it would appoint inspectors instead of canceling cultural events and performances just because of the artists' opinions
When something happens, the people of Haifa will protest and blame Bibi for that too 🤷🏼♂️