The survey published last Sunday confirms what people experience every day. Traffic ranked second among respondents' main concerns, with 28.6% identifying it as the country's biggest problem, compared with 20.3% a year earlier.

This result is no surprise. It is a clear call for immediate action.

We cannot continue treating congestion as a temporary October inconvenience that will disappear once families settle into school and work routines. This is a structural problem requiring measures that can begin now, alongside investment and planning for the longer term.

Time spent in traffic means less time with family, less rest and greater pressure on workers and businesses. Long, unpredictable journeys can increase stress and undermine mental wellbeing. Delays also affect productivity, raise operating costs and weaken competitiveness. Parents struggle to coordinate school and work commitments, while businesses face uncertainty over deliveries and appointments.

The Nationalist Party proposes coordinated action across three areas: reducing avoidable journeys, organising freight more efficiently and making alternatives to private cars more practical and affordable.

First, we must expand remote working wherever duties allow, across suitable public sector roles and through agreements with private employers. This could include two days weekly, staggered across teams to reduce peak traffic throughout the working week. Eligibility must reflect actual responsibilities, with service quality, productivity and data security protected. The objective is to reduce unnecessary commuting while maintaining effective services.

School transport must also become a more dependable choice for families. Better routing, reasonable journey times, appropriate supervision and reliable arrival information can help address parents' concerns. Improvements should reflect children's needs, including accessibility, and make collection arrangements safer and more convenient. Success must be measured through punctuality, parental confidence and the private car journeys actually replaced, recognising that some parents combine school drop-offs with their commute.

Second, freight movements and deliveries must be coordinated around the capacity of our roads. Discussions should begin with Ro-Ro shipping operators, port operators, hauliers and receiving businesses to move more cargo outside peak hours. Where shipping schedules and operational requirements permit, cargo should move directly from the port to suitable industrial facilities for unloading during agreed night-time windows.

This requires coordination across the entire delivery chain, including receiving staff and the relevant clearance arrangements. Moving a lorry at night achieves little if its destination cannot accept the goods. Agreements must also protect residents' rest, workers' conditions and operational safety.

Consolidation hubs, along the lines proposed by the Malta Chamber, could support this approach by combining deliveries destined for the same areas. Properly located and managed, they could reduce repeated journeys and improve vehicle utilisation. Initial trials should assess costs, handling requirements and the overall effect on traffic before wider implementation.

Third, people need convenient, affordable alternatives. A study of a shared-ride pilot using licensed Y-plate vehicles, building on the concept, was advanced by engineer Marco Cremona. Transparent agreements with interested platforms and operators could allow passengers travelling in similar directions to share a vehicle at a lower fare.

Advance bookings for regular commutes, clear prices and limits on waiting times and detours would make the service more useful. Any public support must be targeted and evaluated against measurable results, including private car journeys replaced and empty vehicle mileage. The service should complement reliable public transport and avoid simply transferring existing bus passengers into additional cars.

We also propose increasing and better targeting existing purchase grants for small motorcycles, including models below 250cc, with greater support for electric motorcycles. Assistance should encourage suitable commuters to replace car journeys and include training and protective equipment, alongside improved road safety.

These measures need a clear mechanism for implementation and scrutiny. The Nationalist Party therefore reiterates its call for a Parliamentary Committee on Transport, with equal Government and Opposition representation.

The committee should scrutinise data, hear experts, operators and affected communities, agree priorities and present an action plan identifying deadlines, responsible authorities and public performance indicators. It should report to Parliament every month on progress, results and implementation delays, with explanations where agreed milestones have not been met.

Both sides should make a public political commitment to the agreed plan. Government would retain executive responsibility for implementation and remain accountable to Parliament. The committee would provide sustained scrutiny and continuity, ensuring that agreed measures are followed through and reviewed against evidence. Cooperation must translate into decisions, clear responsibilities and delivery that the public can assess.

Data collection must proceed alongside practical improvements and carefully designed pilots. We should establish what works, correct what does not and expand measures that demonstrate value. People deserve realistic choices and visible progress, with public money directed towards outcomes that improve everyday life.

Every minute saved in traffic is a minute returned to people.

Ivan Castillo is the Opposition Whip and Shadow Minister for Sustainable Mobility