Government whip Godfrey Farrugia today said he believed that for public transport to become efficient, we must implement a pull and push policy framework, by pushing people to use public transport and at the same time discouraging people
Speaking in parliament on the budget estimates concerning the Transport Ministry this afternoon, Dr Farrugia said that “if we had to implement a fare for drivers by monitoring car users through CCTV and make public transport free during peak hours, this would be encourage a change of attitude,” said Dr Farrugia.
He said that a road toll for drivers making use of private tansportation during rush hour could discourage people from using their own cars. Implementing this measure in conjunction with providing public transport free of charge during peak hours would help ease the traffic congestion.
Dr Farrugia discussed the effect of traffic jams on health, mentioning mood swings as well as high blood pressure. He also gave special mention to cancer, saying that the action of pressing the break peddle while in traffic releases heavy metal particles, which has been linked to cancer.
“This government never said that the problem does not exist. On the contrary, it has tried to choose the best path forward in tackling the problem,” said Dr Farrugia.
The culture of 1 car per person, problems with infrastructure and poor planning are all contributing towards heavy traffic flow, Dr Farrugia said.
He said that expecting the comforts of having one's car right outside the front door is no longer tenable.
Logistics is something the ministry for transport is without a doubt focusing on, said Dr Farrugia. The institute of climate change and of Malta said that in order to avoid traffic the first thing we must address is the issue of reliability of public transport.
This government introduced a new public transport company, and it needs time for the reform to be completed, said Dr Farrugia. He also said that new and better routes are being introduced, and admitted that mistakes have been made.