Prime Minister Joseph Muscat described the public transport service current situation as “works in progress”, admitting that he has received negative feedback as well as good comments on the service.

He said some compared the service to the time of Arriva while others said the service improved.

Addressing parliament during a debate kick-started by the Opposition on the traffic problem after it presented a motion urging the government to take action, Dr Muscat said that 40 cars are purchased daily while some 80 cars are registered by Transport Malta on a daily basis.

He said there are 4,000 motorcycles on our roads.

Dr Muscat said that although the government agrees with the fact that fuel prices should go down to reflect the international oil prices, PN leader Simon Busuttil’s call to decrease fuel prices will only incentivise people to use their cars more. "We will be reducing the fuel prices despite this," he assured.

But PN leader Simon Busutil replied saying that the PN's proposal to decrease fuel prices was due to the fact that the oil prices had gone down. But despite saying that fuel prices will incentivise people to use their cars more, Dr Muscat said 

Dr Muscat pointed out that countries he visited that have the same problem have a system in place whereby people are only allowed to purchase a vehicle only if their name came up in a lottery.

“Do we have to reach that stage?” he asked.

He also said that some suggest that the use of ‘Motorini’ will help alleviate the problem.

“Cars on our roads doubled since year 2000,” he said, while acknowledging that the situation is problematic as it was in the past.

“Previous governments implemented good infrastructural projects but if one were to say that this government did nothing in this sector, he is wrong.

“Additional parking spaces would incentivise people to use their cars, leading to more traffic in our roads,” he continued.

Dr Muscat said that those people who have used the Coast Road will never recall a time where works on an infrastructural project of this sort moved so fast.

He said that if the Kappara Junction and Coast Road projects were kick-started at the same time, chaos would have ensued.

He also explained that another issue is that road contractors submit bids for more than one project but did not have enough employees to carry out the works simultaneously.

The prime minister said that Malta could consider the use of a metro or monorail but questioned whether the infrastructure used for monorails may jar with our historic buildings.

He said that suggestions have been made for roads to be built underground.

PN leader says traffic immobilising people: ‘Where is your road map?’

PN leader Simon Busuttil said that the traffic situation has become a “national problem”.

This is not a perception, as Minister Mizzi had said, but a reality, Dr Busuttil said.

It had to be the PN to kick-start a debate on the issue, he continued.

Dr Busuttil said the fact that people missed their flights or were forced to postpone their appointment to undergo surgery meant that people’s mobility was being affected.

He also highlighted that had the PaqPaqli charity event accident taken place on a day when it was raining, the ambulances which were despatched to the scene would not have been able to infiltrate in time or make it to hospital fast.

Dr Busuttil said that the ministers were engaging in a pique and could not come to an agreement on the situation, with one minister saying one thing and another minister saying the opposite.

Busuttil renews call to government to subsidise transport for students attending church, independent schools

The PN leader said that his party had proposed to government to have school transport provided to students attending church and independent schools subsidised by the government in the same way transport for students attending state schools is.

“But this government is too arrogant to take up our proposal,” he continued.

He said that he has set up a group within his party to study in detail the traffic problem and to emerge with concrete proposals.

Malta had missed out on an opportunity to reform bus service, Bonnici says on Arriva ‘mess’  

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said that Malta had missed out on an opportunity to reform the bus service.

Dr Bonnici said: “Former PN transport minister Austin Gatt made a big mess out of Arriva.

“Transport Minister Joe Mizzi took the bull by the horns and worked hard to reform the system, despite the fact that this government inherited a poor public transport service,” he said.

Dr Bonnici went on to say that the Opposition is there to present proposals to help alleviate the traffic problem and not simply present a motion to discuss the problem,” the minister continued.

PN MP Martehse Portelli said that businesses were feeling the pinch due to the traffic problem, reiterating the PN’s call for government to commission a proper holistic study.

She explained that traffic decreases competitiveness since if a salesperson is stuck in traffic, he or she is losing out on sales. Dr Portelli referred to the statement issued today by the Unscheduled Bus Service (UBS) which read that 30-minute trips are taking two hours.

On public transport, she said that Dr Bonnici’s comments that the service improved are insensitive to say the least since if he were to speak to the people out there, their feeling is definitely not mutual.

She said that there are individuals who haven’t even received the tallinja bus card despite the fact that it was launched months ago. Dr Portelli made reference to the fact that Malta Public Transport was not giving its workers a proper break.

Dr Portelli said that the PN had given the government a proposal last year but instead turned it down.

She said the government should introduce incentives to push bicycle use while also considering how best one can use mini buses and taxis, making taxis more affordable for instance. She also suggested that one needed to ensure that school transport is improved to encourage parents to have their children use it.

Government has no intention to have kids wake up an hour earlier for school

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said that this government has no intention to have kids wake up an hour before for school to alleviate the problem of traffic.

He referred to the fact that the Unscheduled Bus Service (UBS) proposed staggered school hours. He said this meant that there will be a half an hour difference in the opening hours of schools.

Mr Bartolo said the government would review the proposals received tied to the White Paper but insisted that school transport is only a small part of the traffic problem.

Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg said that a PN administration had made the Sliema-Swieqi-St Julain’s areas theirs but failed to implement the Kappara Junction project.

“The Kappara Junction project is going to happen,” he assured the Opposition, “despite you having served for 25 years”.

PN MP Toni Bezzina asked whether the exigencies of the people, two years and the half after a Labour government was elected to government, were met.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said it is unacceptable to listen to the Opposition say that the traffic problem worsened simply becuase a Labour government is running the country.