A few interesting law proposal were introduced recently:
1. MK Lia Shemtov has proposed a law that would ban using a cellphone while crossing the street. The initial proposal wanted to ban the sending of messages and emails and using apps on the phone. Doing this creates a distraction for the person crossing the street, at a time when he should be paying attention. Other MKs added to the proposal that it should include using a cellphone in general, as well as having earphones in place listening to either a cellphone or music player or sorts.
If this proposal will be passed, Israel will join an increasing number of countries, or states in the US, that are instituting such a ban.
2. sometimes sections of parking on streets might be designated, or reserved, for local residents or for someone specific. if you would park in such a spot, you might come back to find a ticket on your windshield.
The real problem can be when the sign declaring the area to be reserved parking is difficult to see or unclear. it might be at the beginning of the road, and someone driving on the street might have passed it without even noticing it as he is parking nowhere near the sign.
MK Yoel Hasson has proposed a law that while general parking is indicated by the painting of the curb with a staggered blue line (blue and white), reserved parking should be designated by the painting of a staggered green line.
This still does not solve the problem of when a guest is visiting someone, or kids visiting a parent, and parks on the street in a reserved area he can still get a ticket. But it is an improvement as it will be clearer for the driver to understand where he is and is not allowed to park.
3. By law, all places of worship, no matter what religion they are associated with, are exempt from arnona payments (municipal property tax). The difference between exemptions is that in addition to the synagogue being exempt, connected areas to the synagogue are also exempt. This additional exemption only applies to synagogues, but not places of worship of other religions. That means that while a beis medrash by a shul will be exempt from arnona payments, the other areas of a mosque or church have to pay for the same type of space.
At the beginning of the year this discrepancy was appealed to the Supreme Court on the basis of discrimination. The Supreme Court gave time for the Knesset to respond with an explanation, but in the meantime, the appellant requested an order that would cancel, temporarily at least, the exemption from synagogues until the issue is resolved in the courts.
To avoid a situation in which the shuls would lose their exemption, even temporrily, MKs Moshe Gafni and Nissim Zeev submitted their proposal for an amendment to the law that would grant the same exemption to the adjacent properties of other religions as well.
This situation, of religious MKs solving problems for other religions, is being described as unusual. It might be, but it shouldn't be. There is no reason why clergy cannot cooperate to solve problems for each other.
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I live on a very small, but heavily populated island in the English Channel off the northern coast of France. Baruch HaShem, notwithstanding the facts that our roads are narrow almost everybody here drives as public transport services are atrocious.
ReplyDeleteWe already have reserved parking, as outlined in paragraph 2 of Rafi's article. In order to accommodate "visitor parking" each resident buys a pack of parking cards from the local authority which he/she gives to grandparents etc to stick on the wind shield of their vehicles.
It's not ideal, but it works for us here on Jersey, Channel Islands.