The Nationalist Party has expressed its worry at how the discussion on traffic has now turned into speaking about the tragedies on Malta’s roads.

The PN said that the statistics show that there is a “crisis” on Malta’s roads which is getting worse with every passing week.

They said that since the start of the year, a record number of deaths – 24 in total – have been registered on Malta and Gozo’s roads.

In the press conference, transport spokesperson Adrian Delia and infrastructure spokesperson Ryan Callus both said that from discussing traffic, the country has ended up speaking about tragedies.

They said that the fact that people are getting stuck in more and more traffic is causing more stress and frustration and resulting in people’s mental health getting worse.  They pointed out that further traffic also results in more respiratory problems owing to the pollution.

Delia and Callus said that the PN joins those who are worried at the “non-existent” management of traffic in Malta, with Transport Malta having ended up subject to one scandal after another, while the minister responsible – Aaron Farrugia – “continues to hide and invent excuses.”

The PN said that it is also worried at how, despite the fact that 56 new cars are being registered every day, the government is yet to offer any solution to the traffic situation, noting that the Labour Party’s pre-election pomp on the metro had ended up being empty promises to the point that the project wasn’t even mentioned in the Budget.

They said that despite the millions which the government has spent on infrastructure, it is clear that this will not serve the country for as long as it thinks, another sign according to them that Robert Abela’s government has no long-term vision.