Traffic congestion cannot be addressed through the provision of more roads and flyovers. These measures generate more traffic, as has been repeatedly shown by studies carried out all over the world. Instead of prioritising cars it is about time that we prioritise the needs of people and the communities where they reside. As a result, we would need fewer cars on our roads.

The Transport Masterplan, drawn up after the 2013 general election, and generally ignored by the same government which commissioned it, points out that the average journey length of a private car trip in Malta is 5.5 kilometres and that 50 per cent of car trips take no more than 15 minutes. This leads to the important consideration that regional and local public transport, could address the movement of a substantial number of cars on our roads with considerable environmental benefits. With careful planning one can easily reduce substantially these car movements. 

Potentially this addresses the first 50 per cent of car traffic on our roads. Now for the rest!

In getting to grips with the traffic congestion problem Minister Chris Bonett must address the various political decisions which have contributed to it getting progressively worse.  He cannot keep ignoring the Transport Masterplan, if he is serious about addressing the issue.

Unfortunately, Minister Bonett is oblivious to all this. Only these last few days he has been confirming the go-ahead for the Msida flyover project, which, like a number of other road infrastructure projects will only shift the problem of traffic congestion a few hundred metres up the road. Even the use of artificial intelligence to manage traffic efficiently will not address the cause of the traffic problem. It is rather intended to deal with the management of the effects.

Traffic congestion is the accumulated practical effect of the failure of transport policy over the years. Instead of tinkering with the road network and introducing flyovers and underpasses or tunnels it would be much better if the Honourable Minister and his Cabinet colleagues focus on the cause of this failure. This is not a problem peculiar to these islands.

Land use planning can be utilised to address the root causes of traffic congestion, as a result, substantially improving our quality of life. This can be done through prioritising people and their needs over cars in our communities. Most basic needs can be addressed in any community, generally without having the need to travel, or with a reduced need. This was the purpose of the 15-minute city initiative undertaken by Architect Carlos Moreno in the City of Paris, and, since then, adopted in various other towns around the world.

The 15-minute city seeks to encourage self-sufficient communities where the most basic needs are just a 15-minute walk or a bike ride away from your home. Working close to your home, or better still remote working, adds to the effectiveness of a 15-minute city. Ensuring that green and open spaces are provided and adequately maintained in our communities completes the basic requirements for a self-sufficient community.

This is an example of the positive impact which land use planning could have on our quality of life. It signifies that we protect our communities and their basic infrastructure.  The community infrastructure includes the small commercial outlets which until some time ago were present in most of our local streets. They are slowly disappearing, their function being taken over by the large commercial outlets, including supermarkets, which are mushrooming all over the islands with the Planning Authority's blessing.

This is the result of allowing the market to function in an unhindered manner. The market requires that it be adequately regulated in order to ensure that our communities are protected. The market is a good servant, but a very bad master.

Protecting our communities includes helping the small trader make a living. This would entail assisting him or her in addressing competition pressures, as a result of which small shops are making way for supermarkets and other large commercial outlets. Small traders can be helped in order to develop the ability to compete. This can be done if small traders are assisted such that they organise themselves properly through, for example, co-operatives. Through co-operatives they can pool resources. As a result, they could be in a better position to offer their products for sale at competitive prices in the communities which they serve. They can build up an economy of scale which could withstand the onslaught they are currently being subjected to. As a result, they can remain open for custom in our communities, contributing to their self-sufficiency.

The traffic congestion problem which we face is the accumulated failure of policy which has continuously devalued our communities and their needs. A Planning Authority which functions properly could have avoided all this mess through proper land use planning. Addressing the mess is now more difficult. It is still however possible if land use planning focuses on the needs of our communities, instead of satisfying greed.

This is, after all, what land use planning is about!

An architect and civil engineer, the author is a former Chairperson of ADPD-The Green Party in Malta.  [email protected] ,   http://carmelcacopardo.wordpress.com