School transport should be given priority and, if possible, roads should be used later.

This was the message that was given by the Transport Malta Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Borg, in the week that saw the reopening of schools after the summer holidays.

We all know that school transport, in the mornings, coincides with thousands of other drivers on their way to work.

Starting from as early as 6am, many are the workers who are making the journey towards their place of work. And, at that time, they can see many students waiting to be picked up by their school transport.

This goes on till 8.30-9am, by which time all schools would have started their lessons and most workers would have started their day at work.

So what is the Transport CEO telling us when he says that school transport should be given priority and that other drivers should use roads at other times?

The answer is simple. He is suggesting that people go late to work. This is the interpretation that many have given to his words. Unless he wants them to go to work hours before offices and factories open.

After being told that we should place our organic waste in the freezer until it was time to take it out in the street to be collected, this was the second pearl of wisdom that people in authority have come up with to resolve daily problems we encounter.

Earlier this year, WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca said that bad odours can be eliminated if people freeze their organic waste. His words were received with derision. Rather than come up with better solutions so as to resolve the uncontrollable waste problem, people were told to put their waste in the freezer along with goods they are still to consume. We do not know how many people took his advice, but judging by the way his suggestion was received, it does not appear likely that many have started to freeze their organic waste.

Now we have been told, by Transport Malta CEO Jonathan Borg, that we should try to avoid driving during school transport hours. In other words, either go to work at 5am or else leave home at 9am. We’re sure that employers were not too happy about this. It is already difficult for them to get their employees starting their duties on time; now it is the Transport Malta chief who is indirectly telling them that it’s ok to arrive at work late.

Where is the strategic vision to tackle Malta’s traffic problem? Is it tackling the core reasons why people don’t use it? If public transport was perfect, then clearly more people would make use of it. These are things he should have addressed.

Waste and traffic are two problems which have escalated in the last years, mainly because of the policies adopted by the government – including the idea to go for economic growth via a population growth. But it’s clear that the government, and its authorities, were not ready for this. They had no plan to counter the repercussions, and these latest suggestions expose their desperation.

They seem to have lost hope in finding a solution to the monster they have created, and so they come up with bizarre proposals.

One wonders what the next one will be.