Your report on last week’s public consultation at Auberge de Castille (845,000 in transport reform consultancies by PN Government, 22 June) was a mixture of good news and worrying news.
That Arriva and Transport Malta are to plan new bus routes is good news. A Public transport system which enables efficient commuting to work is the backbone of every country’s economy. It is therefore encouraging to hear that the Ministry is working hard to address Malta’s as yet ineffective public transport system which, since its inception, has intensified Malta’s car-dependency to such an extent that traffic congestion has reached an unsustainable level.
However, one might ask in this context: why is only one public transport modality - road-based transport - receiving attention when we have a huge area of harbor sea which could be exploited for transport? Malta’s main harbour is surrounded by the most densely populated urban area of Malta. Travel to Valletta from the towns on either side of Valetta – and travel between these towns - is a highly inefficient and time consuming business because it involves a huge detour on congested roads round the Harbour area. Recommendations for a harbour ferry network which enables easy travelling in between destinations on both sides of the harbour have been repeatedly put forward in the past and, more recently, in two think tank reports*. Anybody who has used the Marsamxett ferry will agree that this is a very agreeable way to travel. Such a ferry service would also add value to our tourism product in addition to providing commuters with easy connections between Sliema, Gzira, Msida, Pieta, Valletta, Senglea, Cospicua and Kalkara etc.. Another bonus would be the reduction of traffic congestion and pollution in the maze of roads surrounding the harbor conurbation. This is all the more relevant now that the Barraka lift has been installed.
Malta’s other major transport headache is private car transport. The problem with private car traffic congestion is not unique to Malta. It has been the case in most cities and towns all over the world where traffic density reached a point where measures had to taken to reverse the trend. Unlike Malta, most western towns and cities addressed the problem head-on in a logical manner by taming traffic and decreasing car dependency while encouraging alternative mobility options. The solutions were based on the sound principle of attracting people away from driving cars. This was achieved by making public transport efficient and providing conditions which encourage people to use other mobility options for feasible distances - such as cycling or walking. This has made towns and cities pleasant to live in and freed up their open spaces.
It is clear to everybody in Malta that traffic density has made most car journeys impossibly time consuming. Against this frustrating background it is amazing to see how proposed solutions in Malta remain stubbornly one-dimensional and aimed solely at improving private car traffic when decreasing excessive car dependency should be the aim. While progressive cities aiming to reduce car traffic, Transport Malta continues thinking in terms of car-traffic oriented solutions based on providing more car parking space and so-called traffic management schemes. Both these are self-defeating and out-dated approaches which ignore the basic fact that encouraging people to commute by car simply intensifies the vicious circle. The prevailing attitude was perfectly reflected by the proposal by a member of the public who, it was reported, suggested scrapping plans for a public garden in Floriana to create parking space; this is pure, insane environmental obscenity.
With a concentration of about 2500 vehicles per square mile , nothing short of turning Malta’s entire surface into a tarmac desert will suffice to maintain traffic flow and provide enough parking space for car commuters – of course, this would make more people shun public transport and resort to their car. Car ownership continues to be grow with regular importation of hundreds of cars per month - but there is no way to prohibit car-ownership (which is after all a reflection of our wealth). Neither is there any disputing that a private car is absolutely essential in many situations and that there are also certain occupations which make private car use essential. The core of the problem is this: it is left currently left up to individuals to try and cope with conditionsas best as they can - and conditions in Malta only offer one option: that of sticking to the private car even if journeys take up a lot of time. So it is essential that conditions are created which offer opportunities for alternative mobility rather than the car. If, instead of catering only for cars, public transport is made acceptable and our roads made safer, more attractive and pedestrian-friendly, then some people might start to prefer leaving their car behind and walking or cycling short distances and using public transport for longer distances. Malta is becoming more health conscious and there are many commuters who would be willing to give the bicycle a try; even if a small percentage of commuters did this, the benefit on traffic would be appreciable.
The EU aims to redesign the public realm for people rather than motor cars by improving public transport and making roads safe for cyclists and pedestrians. The EU Parliament’s recommendation (27 September 2011) for an urban 30kph zones across Europe to make walking and cycling safe needs to be taken on board. EU funding for street re-design projects might also be available; there certainly seems to be generous European Union funding, estimated at €6 billion until 2020, allocated to bicycle-related travel initiatives alone. So Malta could do well to apply for funds for creating road infrastructure to encourage bicycle use. Alongside improvement in public transport, this is the way to go.
Rather than encouraging private car use, the aim should be getting people out of their cars and back on public transport. This must be given absolute overriding priority. Making public transport more attractive deserves to be treated as a matter of urgency. It would help if this included sea transport; it would take pressure off traffic around the harbor area. Replacing buses which are impractical for many routes through narrow roads by more suitable vehicles might also be a good idea. Healthy non-car mobility is also to be encouraged.
* Into the Future: Socio-Economic or Security Challenges for Malta http://www.tppi.org.mt/~user2/index.php/reports (p 21 - 22)
*Towards a Low Carbon Society - the Nation's Health, Energy Security and Fossil Fuels. http://www.tppi.org.mt/~user2/index.php/reports (paras 543 -561)
http://www.tppi.org.mt/~user2/index.php/reports
GG Debono
Sliema