TM and Infrastructure Malta confident skyrocketing vehicle numbers can be dealt with

Malta’s expanding economy, with unprecedented low levels of unemployment and the massive growth in tourism over the past few years have arguably also led to an increase in the number of vehicles on our roads

Both Transport Malta and Infrastructure Malta are confident that the ever-increasing number of cars can be dealt with through short-term fixes as well as long-term planning that caters for future demand.

The Malta Independent on Sunday contacted both agencies after the National Statistics Office this week said that the stock of licensed vehicles has now reached 380,000. An exercise carried out by this newspaper found that the number of vehicles on the road has increased by 80,000 in the last 10 years – and by an average of 12,100 over the last five years. Both agencies put the increase down to the booming economy.

“Malta’s expanding economy, the unprecedented low levels of unemployment and the massive growth in tourism over the past few years have arguably also led to an increase in the number of vehicles on our roads. The rapid expansion has increased the strain on our sometimes limited infrastructure,” a spokesperson for TM said.

Constant assessment

The agency said it is constantly assessing the capacity, efficiency and safety of the road network and all related activities and infrastructure. “This ongoing review uses different methods to analyse current and future changes in demand to ensure that the land transport infrastructure and services continue to meet the requirements of the country’s economic and social development.

As a result, the network is constantly optimised to tackle current and future challenges whilst acquiring the necessary capacity and flexibility to meet current and future demand, hence the unparalleled efforts by this administration, first through Transport Malta and now through Infrastructure Malta, to invest heavily in Malta’s road infrastructure. Transport Malta has completed or commissioned projects such as the Kappara Project and the Marsa Junction Project to address critical capacity issues in such major junctions.”

The TM spokesperson said Infrastructure Malta is “systematically” addressing bottlenecks on several main routes that commuters use every day. It is also employing a number of short-term measures such as increasing the capacity of roundabouts and realigning certain roads, but also long-term measures such as the tunnel system in Santa Luċija and the Central Link project.

Modal shift

Apart from infrastructural works, there have also been efforts to encourage a modal shift away from the private vehicle, the agency said. “The Government has invested heavily in making public transport a more viable option. In 2017 the public transport system reached 48 million passenger journeys, an increase of 41 per cent or 14 million over 2012, increasing the number of routes, seats and buses whilst introducing the concept of Tallinja card and Wi-Fi on buses. There were other schemes, including the ongoing one by which young people between the ages of 16 and 20 travel by bus free of charge.”

The harbour ferry services are carrying more passengers year on year, with a total of 1.3million passengers in 2017 compared to 66,000 in 2012, TM said, adding that it is investing in increasing the number of ferry landings, making the service more feasible for regular commuters.

TM said it has also laid out the framework and introduced the concept of shared transport, with bikesharing gaining popularity, a motorbike-sharing initiative undergoing its pilot phase and a car-sharing initiative due to be launched in the coming months.

The Government has also put forward incentives for the public to take up motor-cycling. Apart from removing the registration tax for small motorcycles, more than 3,500 individuals have made use of the initiative to allow B licence holders to ride low-powered motorcycles after following a ten-hour course.

Electric vehicles

The NSO said this week that hybrid and electric vehicles still account for less than 0.5 per cent of the total stock of vehicles.

TM pointed out that over a hundred charging points have been installed so far, but the number will climb to over 500 in the coming months. A TM spokesperson said that, while the numbers are still low, electric vehicles are slowly gaining popularity. “Considering that, in 2013, there were only 30 electric and hybrid vehicles on TM’s register, the increase is remarkable. In fact, the public is quickly taking up the schemes offered by the Government to purchase electric vehicles. A week ago, the Ministry announced a €500,000 extension in view of the absorption of the initial €500,000 allocation in just six months.”

Long-term commitment

Infrastructure Malta is the agency tasked with carrying out the €700 million road reconstruction election pledge. “This long-term commitment, upon which we have already embarked through several small, medium and long-term projects, will not just tackle difficulties in the quality of road surfaces and related infrastructure. It will also continuously optimise the road network’s capacity, improve road safety, increase efficiency to reduce travelling times and the impact of congestion-related air pollution and allocate more space and resources to safer and increased use of alternative modes of transportation,” said CEO Frederick Azzopardi.