Infrastructure Malta is set to launch a three-year business plan in the coming weeks which will serve as something of a working plan for the country’s roads agency, Infrastructure Malta’s new CEO Ivan Falzon told The Malta Independent on Sunday.
The business plan will cover three years and will be based around having the figure of €100 million per year, with Falzon saying in an interview that it is planned to be launched towards the end of November.
Falzon, who was appointed as Infrastructure Malta CEO in July, described the business plan as a “working plan” and as an assurance to the country that the government’s commitment to investing in the country’s infrastructure will continue.
He said that stakeholders such as local councils will be involved so a list of priorities can be drawn up, and other agencies such as Enemalta and the Water Services Corporation will be involved as well so that their works can be streamlined into any plans which Infrastructure Malta has.
Falzon explained that the plan is based around four principles: quality, sustainability – both in terms of how roads can be more sustainable in their design but also in terms of what materials and production techniques are used - accountability, and safety by design.
On the latter point, Falzon noted how Malta has had a record high number of road fatalities in the past year, and said that there has to be more work with enforcement entities in order to create more discipline on the roads.
Asked about the road safety aspect, and whether besides needing more enforcement and discipline, there is an issue of the infrastructure not being safe for road users, Falzon pointed out that across Europe – including in Malta – 80% of the road accidents which are either fatal or which result in life changing injuries are due to over-speeding or negligence such as driving under the influence or not paying attention to the road.
“Every vehicle is a weapon which can injure people… we need to remember that,” Falzon says.
He added that we need to look beyond the road fatalities and think of the people who have had their lives totally changed by a road accident.
“I remember when I worked at Mater Dei Hospital, and we used to see people who would have to spend the rest of their lives – some 50 years for instance – in a wheelchair because of a traffic accident,” he says.
“Let’s not just look at the people who have died, but also those who have seen their lives change as a result of injuries in traffic crashes. That has an impact on the country itself: an economic impact but more so a social impact on the victim and their families,” he said.
“The numbers which show the cause of the accidents do not lie, and we need to keep that statistic in front of us every day we get out of bed, as the social impact of these accidents can be huge,” he added.
Alternative transport: Major cycle routes included in new IM working plan
Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia last month raised some anger after he told The Malta Independent that the government’s primary aim when building infrastructure is for it to become safer and more efficient for cars, and that alternative transport methods such as bicycles are an after-thought for “only if there is space”.
Asked whether he felt that this is a short-sighted view of things, Falzon said that while he was not familiar with the minister’s comment, the brief he has from the minister is “to design infrastructure for the people, and then it will be up to the people to use the best means of transport for them.”
“When you see what Infrastructure Malta has done in the past and what it’s doing now, you can see that we are – within our limitations – exploring alternative ways of creating active mobility spaces: places with more greenery and with more space for pedestrians or other road users,” he said.
Falzon mentioned the Tac-Cawsli project in Zejtun as one such example of this.
“I think we need to be creative and open to having more of these spaces. The line has to be that, yes, we need to design for cars because the reality is that most Maltese people use cars, but we have to create the appetite – the possibility – for people to explore other modes of transport, including collective ones,” Falzon continued.
Asked whether today’s infrastructure gives the opportunity for people to use alternative transport methods safely, with it being pointed out that communities such as that representing cyclists do not feel that this is the case, Falzon stated that this department has improved in the last few years.
He said that he had met with Rota – the main cyclist lobby group – the week prior and added that it had been agreed that the country needs more holistic planning when it comes to cycling.
“Rather than doing a cycle lane with a start to finish in every road, we need to create routes from point A to point B. We can say for instance that in the next three years our plan is to create a cycle route between Mosta and Valletta as that’s the most travelled route, with ancillary facilities along the way,” he said.
These routes would be characterised by segregated or safe lanes, and would not necessarily be running through major arterial roads.
“We had a very clear discussion: enough studies, we have this amount of resources and we need to channel them into creating a new route. Then when we finish the first route, we can work on another which will have the necessary return on investment,” he said.
New unit for better communication between roads agency and local councils to be set up
One of the major criticisms towards Infrastructure Malta is that it does not consult with community stakeholders before going ahead with a project.
Asked about whether local councils particularly should be consulted more, Falzon agreed that this was an issue which was brought up repeatedly in a SWOT analysis which he carried out upon his arrival at the agency.
He said that one of the changes he is seeking to implement and which will go before the agency’s board of directors in the coming days is for the creation of a unit specifically tasked with having better communication and coordination with local councils and with other agencies and regulators.
However, Falzon pointed out, there comes a point where decisions have to be taken. He used the Central Link project as an example, saying that various governments spent some 50 years listening and studying the project.
“Someone has to take a decision at some point, and today everyone gives Infrastructure Malta credit for taking the decision which resulted in the Central Link. Yes, you have to listen, and Infrastructure Malta changed the design multiple times, but you have to take the decision,” he said.
He noted that being decisive has become something associated with arrogance, but again said that a decision at some point has to be taken.
Falzon added that there’s nothing wrong in somebody giving an alternative viewpoint to a project, but said that it is a source of frustration to him when someone would have agreed to a project and then changes tack midway through it.
“There’s nothing wrong in admitting that we aren’t perfect and saying that this stakeholder may have been right so let’s change things to go towards a solution which they brought up – as long as the only agenda is for the common good, not for political reasons,” he said.
‘Demonising direct orders isn’t the answer’
Turning to the topic of accountability, one which was mentioned in the business plan by Falzon, it was pointed out that Infrastructure Malta has handed out millions in direct orders over the past years, prompting criticism that the agency’s money is not being dished out fairly and through proper procurement procedures – particularly because these direct orders seem to always go to the same few contractors.
Asked for his views on this matter and whether Infrastructure Malta will change its practices, Falzon expressed his disagreement with the criticism.
He said that the pool of people who do the kind of work that they require is limited, and that if you had to get a list of the people in that pool and compare it to the list of recipients of funds it would be the same.
He said that direct orders make up around 20% of Infrastructure Malta’s procurement outlay.
“Direct orders aren’t illegal. There has to be a justification for them, but it is part of the government’s procurement procedures,” Falzon said.
He continued by saying that many times a direct order is given because of circumstances which arise midway through a project being done, at a point where it is not feasible or efficient to resort to the standard tendering procedure as it would grind the project to a halt for months.
The currently ongoing airport junction project is one such example.
“The project is currently stuck because of archaeological findings. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage gave us a method statement which emphasises the conservation of the findings, but costs more than the original tender envisioned. So there you need to either stop the project and publish a tender and risk having another contractor involved with overlapping responsibilities which can create problems in itself, or else negotiate with a justification for what is necessary to be added to the works as a direct order,” he said.
“I think the criticism comes because we are being transparency and publishing all of the information associated this in a timely manner and with all the necessary details,” he added.
Unprompted, Falzon turned to the more general issue of government procurement, saying that after nine years working in different government entities – he has headed the Water Services Corporation and Mater Dei Hospital in the past – if he had to make one recommendation it would be to overhaul the way in which public procurement is done.
“It is too much of a burden at the moment: it costs us time, money, resources, and creates huge headaches,” he said.
A new procurement system must also take into consideration instances, such as in roadworks through cases like that mentioned above, where funds would need to be disbursed in a very short timeframe, he said.
“Demonising direct orders isn’t the answer. If it’s justified within the context of the situation – so it might win time and avoid delays – then I’ll sign it off,” he said before adding: “But I’ll also support a revamp in effective procurement procedures and I think that this has to be a priority for the government.”