In addition to yesterday's announcement about the approval of construction of a new business complex in the Bet Shemesh Industrial Zone, the City of Bet Shemesh also announced, on its Facebook page, another approval by the Regional Planning Committee in Jerusalem..

The second announcement is regarding the approval of the installation of a system of bicycle paths throughout the city of Bet Shemesh. The plan calls for 60 kilometers of bike paths, consisting of both trails in open public areas as well as paths on the city roads.

The Ministry of Interior said that the development of the infrastructure and culture of cycling will increase the quality of life in the city, will increase mobility in the city, and improve health and fitness of the residents, as well as strengthening the image of the city.

The plan has more details (see Facebook page linked above for some of them), but the more interesting one, I think, is the plan to establish a network of bike rentals throughout the city, with each rental station holding about 20 bicycles. This is similar to Tel Aviv in that one can rent a bicycle at any of the many stations around the city, ride to where one needs to go, and then return the bicycle at a nearby station.

Mayor Moshe Abutbol said that Bet Shemesh sits in the heart of the biblical country, in a pastoral setting integrated with many historical sites. The revolution of bike paths is important both from the perspective of tourism and economics for travelers from around the country, and from the perspective of health of the residents of the city.

Maybe it is finally time to cut down on the running and dust off the bike!