A focus on roads alone will not solve anything in the long term

The lack of reference to a mass transport system in Finance Minister Edward

Scicluna’s budget speech is disappointing, to say the least.

The government has pledged to invest €700 million in Malta’s road network over the next seven years together with a number of road infrastructure capital projects as well. This is all well and good; however, given estimates regarding the requirement of more foreign workers, upgrading Malta’s road infrastructure will not have a lasting effect.

Larger roads and more roads to deal with the traffic situation will not be a long-lasting solution, whereas a mass transport system might help. In the short-term, traffic would decrease, yes, but in the long run, with the number of new cars on the road rising, congestion will just get worse. The National Statistics Office said just yesterday that the stock of licensed motor vehicles has now exceeded 382,000.

The government can continue to push public buses, but if roads are congested, those buses will still get stuck in traffic, and people will continue favouring their cars and private vehicles.

This, coupled with plans for new fuel stations making the headlines, there seems to be no end in sight to Malta’s car dependence.

Sources close to the Office of the Prime Minister had told this newsroom that the government would rather complete the seven-year pledge before moving towards a mass transport system. “The idea is to have an upgraded road infrastructure and better functioning public transport system in place before we move towards such a huge investment. But this does not mean that the mass transport idea has been shelved or put on the back burner,” the source said. “In fact, Transport Malta is still actively studying different forms of mass transport systems and doing the necessary groundwork.”

On Indepth yesterday, Finance Minister Scicluna confirmed this, adding that what is needed is a change in mentality that has grown on us for decades. Yet for a change in mentality to take place, the government must make a move and force a shift towards mass transport. Postponing the change even further will only help preserve our current mentality.

There also needs to be a lot of forward planning. If a mass transportation system is ever to be implemented in Malta, then the necessary infrastructure needs to be put in place, yet the government does not seem to have planned for such infrastructure in the major works it has carried out so far. Unless the groundwork is laid, implementing any mass transportation system in the future will be problematic.

In addition, the construction of a tunnel to Gozo has been quite controversial to begin with, with worries of an increase in congestion on Gozitan roads. Some have also questioned whether such a project should be given priority over a mass transportation system for the islands. Indeed, the idea of a road tunnel will only fuel Malta’s car-based economy. The government should have considered the possibility of an alternative transport system for Gozo more carefully.