The number of vehicles on the roads is continuing to rise, data published by the National Statistics Office shows.

In the first quarter of this year, each day 19 more vehicles were licensed than the previous day. That amounted to the stock of licensed motor vehicles increasing by 1,744 over the previous quarter. That is a huge amount.

The total stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 447,455. We are edging closer to half a million.

If one were to compare Q1 to the same quarter in previous years, the 19 more vehicles per day increase is less than the 20 per day in the first quarter 2023, but higher than the 9 per day in the first quarter of 2024.

The statistics highlight the need to bring the situation under control. Traffic will only get worse if the number of vehicles on the road continues to rise, that is obvious.

It is clear that the bus service is just not cutting it, in terms of being an effective alternative, even though it was made free. The government recently made some changes and added more daily trips, but it is doubtful that this would have a major impact. Buses need to be made far more appealing as a travel option.

The Transport Ministry unveiled a plan to tackle the traffic situation. Whether it will be successful or not in terms of reducing traffic remains to be seen.

On a side note, this newsroom has already highlighted that some of the government's proposals would most likely be abused, and highlighted the need for there to be strict enforcement regarding them - For instance, an incentive unveiled by Transport Minister Chris Bonett would give €25,000 for drivers to give up their licence for five years.

But even If there is the necessary enforcement in place, the plans beg the question as to whether other things should be done first, before a number of these measures are introduced.

Nationalist Party spokesperson for Transport and Mobility Mark Anthony Sammut described the plans as putting the cart before the horse. "If you are going to start incentivising people to stop using their car, you first need to ensure that there are alternatives. So with this, I would have expected to see a mass transport plan, as well as more improvement to public transport." It is a worthy point.

If people do decide to give up their vehicle, only to realise that it is too uncomfortable to do so, after five years they will just return to their cars.

Some measures, such as moving certain services to off-peak hours, make sense to introduce right away, although for certain sectors it might prove more difficult to implement than one thinks.

In a separate document, the Malta Vision 2050, the government makes mention of an unspecified type of mass transport system.

A crucial part of tackling the traffic problem on the island would likely be an improved public transport system together with some other form of mass transportation system. Sammut says that the best option would be a trackless tram, or similar solution, mainly because this would be the most feasible option which can be done in a short amount of time. He is not wrong. A rail system would be costly, and take long to introduce. A trackless tram would effectively involve dedicated lanes.

Would it cause more car traffic... probably until people start using it. But if it would be a quick way to get from point A to point B without the issue that a bus has of being stuck in traffic, then people might be more inclined to use it. It goes without saying that it would need to be planned out well, both in terms of routes as well as connections using regular buses to get people from their homes to the route they would pass through. A mentality shift in the country is needed, but for that to happen we need an efficient and quick alternative.