"High time" Malta had alternative means of transport - Gatt

I suggest a Ring Monorail Transport System around Malta with Mini Bus Transport around Villages and Towns to complement it.

This Ring Monorail System would accomodate easily 2 or more trains.

Why a Monorail instead of Underground?

Well... Excellent Tour of Malta in a few minutes, especially for the tourists! Let's say they arrive by a cruise liner, board a train, go round Malta, maybe even stop at several destinations... all in a day's work.

What will be the role of the Mini Buses?

Just think... It would not be feasable to get the Monorail to pass through all the roads in the towns, so these buses take over for the next part of the journey.

It's also possible to use Electric Cabs which are less noisy and less polluting.

More stands where one could lock their bicycles will also be a plus!

'm getting my first electric bike at the end of this month.

I AM DOING MY PART..... ARE YOU???

I don't know about anybody else, but I'd rather spend an hour in traffic, than 30 minutes in a bus.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend anybody, but I remember how miserable & humiliating it used to be when I was forced to use buses.
I'm just not good for buses, me and buses don't go well together.
I mean, you know waiting on a bus stop for 30 minutes to find out it already passed and the next one is an hour away....you know ....Not my thing..and neither is running after an early bus.

There are ways we can improve buses, such as Good Timing or applying GPS to them or a bit of courtesy, but they won't happen, Never.

If Cars keep on getting more expensive, people are going to keep on buying cars, its an inelastic product. So high taxes, high petrol prices, high values ect....its just making the Maltese poorer not more bus friendly.

Monorail or underground, preferably all electronic and on time.. would be a good solution or maybe Better road systems.

Periodic public transport disputes highlight the fact that the existing traffic-related problems cannot be solved piecemeal.

We should start afresh and seriously plan underground transport as a pivotal component defining better mobility/accessibility. All other modes of transport (including PTA scheduled service) will have to adjust accordingly otherwise their monopolistic business would not remain viable in the long term. We have given too much importance to public buses when these should be only part of larger picture.

I was hoping alternative means of transport meant just that - someone is considering mass transport like trams/underground etc Even if buses are improved and routes made better, will it really make a massive difference in a hyper-congested traffic scene?

to tony vincent kind...
I have no personal agenda,so thats no problem for me...I was just trying to make you more aware of the situation of church street as you seemed to think it wasn't accessible to buggies and wheelchairs.
And according to the street signs at the top of the road... no-one should be going down church street (unless they are residents using a garage) let alone reversing up back towards the roundabout.

The simplest and quickest deployed solution is to use the most energy efficient and environmentally form of transport machine called a bicycle, for the following simple reasons:
(a) In short distances and certain areas it would be quicker than by car .
(b) Physical fitness benefits
(c) Environmentally friendly
(d) You can take the initiative and make it happen . The government main interest is to keep the fuel excise flowing in as it is the one of the best money printing machines.

Push the government and councils to provide you bicycle paths, road lanes and secure parking places.
If possible, employers can provide shower facilities.
So what are you waiting for to make YOUR decision.

Enormous traffic jams occur on a daily basis at Marsa (Addolorata cemetery junction) all the way to Fgura via Kordin. Sometimes long tailbacks reach Zabbar situated around 4km away! The traffic-signalled junction in the vicinity of Addolorata cemetery is simply outdated as it is generating enormous amounts of noise, pollution as well as time delays all of which are contributing to the so-called 'road rage'.

Fgura is choked with non-resident traffic; Zabbar is rapidly following suit as it does not have a single circular bypass or a decent main road within its confines.

I wonder what will happen once Smartcity (incidentally a much needed national investment in the region), is completed. The arterial road system in the southeast is simply not capable anymore of handling all the traffic generated by, or entering, Paola, Fgura, Zabbar, the Three Cities and Marsascala. The Scheiber project, a revamped MCAST and other projects along Cottonera/Grand Harbour waterfront are likely to worsen this situation.

How can one speak about a higher quality of life, safer public health and more physical exercise by the general public when such situation persists?

And no, Mr.E.Grima, tunnelling costs are not prohibitive if the common good is factored within the equation. Enemalta's electricity tunnels connecting Delimara and Marsa power stations and other facilities have been completed recently.

@mrs Bannon
nobody said anything about making spinola road two way again. but closing Church street to traffic for the OBVIOUS benefit of one business. That stinks !
Explain the chaos most times of the day with cars parked all over the place and vehicles reversing back to hilton roundabout. etc etc
maybe personal agendas make people blind.......

One area which merits immediate attention is the Sliema/Gzira area. The present road network creates traffic jams all along regional road. Frequently, the Kappara roundabout is blamed. However, as I commute in and out of Sliema every day, the major problem I notice is that most cars entering Sliema converge into Rue D'Argens, Rudolph Street and The Strand, all of which have become bottlenecks with the queues (from these points) reaching the University roundabout - sometimes even St. Venera.

The problem is bound to get worse once large developments such as those of Fort Cambridge, Savoy Gardens and Metropolis Plaza are completed.

The Ministry's attention to this problem is most welcome. An updated road network will surely help in the long term, but measures such as one-way traffic systems to avoid congestions should also be considered as interim measures.

A Daley : Of all the comments below you had to chose to mentioned my name . WHY ?
I am but contributing my suggestions, like many others, in a most serious manner.
I do not expect to be applauded but nor do I expect to be rediculed expecially by a person like you who seems to become so happy at heart when there are issues on certain govt agendas which cry out for serious discussion on how to move things forward.

You and a few more seem so content at seeing things go wrong, but are Never Ever ready to give even the smallest concrete idea or suggestion to improve them and at the same time you expect to be treated as equal partners .

It is extremely easy for all of us to criticise - The most difficult part is to provide the solution .
Some just stop at the criticism part because they have no proposals for a solution, they want others to take the responsiblilty.

Dear Mr Vincent Pace,do you really think that ONE restaurant has the power to close church street?Spinola road was a nightmare when it was 2 way and turning it into a ring road was a blessing.
I know for sure that this road was already closed when this restaurant opted to build a platform to put tables and chairs! And I am sure anyone in this postition would have done exactly the same,just maybe not as tidy!!
And buggies and wheelchairs use this now pedestrianised road without any problems every single day.

Maybe not the right place to post my comment, but dear Minister, it is "MORE HIGH TIME" (or at least a HIGHER PRIORITY) to consider & install safety side-railings or barriers (don't know the exact technical word) in roads with huge trees having thick deadly trunks.

These roads with no barriers and no pavement between end of tarmac and the trees' huge trunks are extremely dangerous... actually deadly!! This applies also to roads with a central strip having no barriers (except some colorful flowers), where traffic is flowing in opposite directions.

How many times we heard the news' headlines:- (not to mention the end-results of the victoms concerned):-

1) "..... the driver lost control & ended up on the other side of the road.... hitting a car (or maybe two) with a happy innocent family who was driving on a calm Sunday afternoon on the other side of the road!"

2) "..... the driver lost control & hit a tree trunk or an electricity pole on the side of the road, completely crushing the car, and him/herself..."

With such safety barriers on the side of these roads, at least, the car/s involved & the accident itself "may" remain contained on the same side of the road..... or in the other case not end up crushed into a trunk or next to a bird's nest on the tree!!

These roads WITHOUT BARRIERS ARE LIKE A TIME-BOMB!!

And sorry, ARE THEY ACC TO EUROPEAN STANDARDS??

At last something will be done I hope.

Having a good number of roads help, but roads alone will not solve Malta's traffic congestion problem and the fact that the population is getting obese as a consequence of the fact that many are using the car for every errand they have.

Malta is so small that alternative means of transport makes more sense. During the last 10-15 years one couldn't help but notice the enormous increase of traffic in the villages. Why would one need to travel by car instead of walk for a 15-30 minute errand? Besides saving on fuel, one stays more fit, and at the same time our villages will be free of the cloud of exhaust that seems to hover everywhere.

A "to the point" suggestion!

Soon it is summer and most people work half-day and an enormous traffic jam ensues for traffic coming from Valletta to Sliema at a time when practically there is no traffic from Sliema to Valletta - the opposite direction - in such a way that the two lanes at tal-Pieta in this opposite direction are practically idle.
My "to the point" suggestion is that when the traffic coming from Valletta reaches Sa Maison Hotel, between 1.15p. and 2.15p.m., the police open one of the said two lanes for traffic that will go in the direction of Rue dÁrgens leaving the other two lanes for whom is going to Mosta or Regional Road. That is during this rush hour as regards the two lanes at Tal PIeta in the direction of Valletta you leave one for whom is coming up to Valletta, obviously, and use temporarily the other lane for whom from Valletta is going to Sliema through Rue d´Árgens. Only a small modification need be done around the monument at Msida!. I humbly believe that with my "to the point" suggestion you increase the flow by 50% without spending one euro!

Fr.John Caruana

No minister. Talk about traffic management and the frustrations of the motorist. COME TO CHURCH STREET PACEVILLE and see the sheer arrogance of ONE restaurant closing a road so he can put tables on a huge platform he built in THE middle of the street closing it to MOTORISTS and WHEELCHAIRS and PUSHCHAIRS. unbelievable !!

Why not evaluate the feasibility of an underground metro system? Is it science fiction to give it a thought? That is the only way we can catch up with the modern European ways of transport - and perhaps a faster route to achieve a more effective alternative means of transport

Hi hi hi, ha ha ha! One cannot understand what you lot are complaining about.
Did we not hear Gonzi say that we have motorways of Europwean standards? Did we not hear that we are the envy of other European countries?
Why are you lot complaning?
Our roads network had been planned by experts, (Maltese ones that is), and if it rains we use our boats or maybe upsailing, especially along those roads that were built years ago and after someone destroys them due to illegal excavation we actually pay them to mend the damage. What a farse! Ha ha, what a farse!
Oh, and john scerri, how about the Government getting it's finances in order before talking rubbish to alieneat the public from the real issues, like the failure of the Govt. to provide proper, decent, modern public transport?
Now which way to Mellieha?

Peak traffic jams are always caused 30mins before working hours begin and after working hours primarily by workers . Otherwise there is no real problem outside working hours.

A worker living in the northern part of the island driving to work to the southern part of the island has go through encountering traffic , curves, hills, slopes, side streets, not mentioning the risk involved through road rage in traffic jams, hot humid weather conditions, slow moving traffic , rude drivers , trucks, lorries almost coming out of nowhere, careless drivers, drivers who won't move into the inner lane and could not give a damn who is behind them.

How about a serious plan to create a network ring of tube trains passing through hills and unground towns and villages (somewhat like central London) around the whole island stopping at main industrial zones, hospitals ,schools,university,etc.

A recent past project to by pass Hamrun by means of an underground tunnel leading straight to regional road was a success . Pity such projects were not developed further for other parts..

There is as much rationale behind having free public transport as there is behind free education and health services. Transportation is a basic human need. There is no a priori reason to have any of the latter two services provided for free. But somehow we have been brought up to expect them. So keeping public transport as cheap and as well functioning as possible may be one way to favour its use, in a scenario of rising fuel and car maintenance prices.

@ James Mizzi: You did not provide one single suggestion for alleviating the traffic situation, except to reform the Transport Authority, but how? One of the reasons for the traffic increase is due to our ever increasing standard of living, merit of the past administrations, making these victims of their own successes. There have been many suggestions by various commentators here below, which all make sense. One important thing in making such changes is to plan 20-50 years ahead, not for the next election and also to prioritise. The drive and park was a successful scheme. However this is only the beginning. Lets liberalise the Taxi service and reform the bus system from a single-radial system to a multi-circular system.

Attn: Michael Tabone. You're perfectly right but a scooter would be perfect for short journeys. An example would be sombody living in Sliema and working in St Julian's. A car just doesn't make sense when the jouney is so short and the weather so frequently fine. I use my scooter to travel daily between Birkirkara and neighbouring Qormi. My car stays at home. It's just a two minute scooter ride via two secondary roads. It's a perfect solution until we have a decent public transport system.

Am i going to have the last say on this?

It seems that there is a whole lot of people interested in this subject, and why not? It touches the very nerve of one of the main problems our beautiful Island is facing.

The price of oil increasing by the minute globally puts ever increasing pressure on any infrastructure relating to transport of any kind. People transfer from point A to point B is no exception.

As I said before, Malta is blessed in this by its size and that there is in place a very efficient and cheap mode of public transport. Sure it needs overhauling, from the hardware to the software. Modern busses and people friendly personnel.

A lot of altenatives were suggested here from scooters for individuals to underground railways for the masses. Scooters maybe fuel efficient for one or two people at the most but still require considerable foot space to be parked over a working day period.

Underground railway is not an alternative for Malta. Apart from the prohibitive cost of tunnelling, one has to consider the historic nature of what lies underneath Malta's surface. The EU definitely will not allow this, and so they shouldn't. If what lies beneath Malta's subsoil has any significance, it has to be preserved for posterity for all of humanity.

There were more alternatives suggested, but surely the monorail will have to be knocked on its head. In there own right the Maltese Islands, have a very beautiful, stunning, southern European appeal to them. Disneyland they ain't.

So please, stick to the efficient mode of transport there is now – and make it BETTER.

Bring back the Railway...Theres the tunnel still running right to Valletta (near the terminus) so part of the infrastructure is already there:

Not only would this provide a new route into the capital but it would also be a very clean method of trasnsport

Yes Minister! You are once again right. The transport has become one big of a headache in our small country, which shouldn't be.
Something is going terribly wrong. But the traffic has increased dramatically during the last 15 years... and unfortunately your government is to blame.
Few good initiatives have been made during the last 15 years to alleviate this ever increasing problem.
One of the first priorities should be to reform the Transport Authority and make it efficient especially where it comes to traffic management.

This is definitely one topic that all Malta agrees about…we have to do something about our transport.

I have travelled to quite a lot of countries, and most of these travels have been to poorer countries like South America, but I can assure you that the transport in these countries is so much easier that in most cases you don’t bother to have a car!

Before considering the various needs of transport, one has to look at it from a wider perspective: The initial cost, the time taken to implement the system, and the impact it makes on the environment.

There is no doubt an underground system would be fantastic, but implementing an underground system will take a considerable number of years and prohibitive cost to implement….so it won’t probably solve the problem for years to come, although the final aim should be to have this kind of system.

For example in Ecuador, they have a good bus system, the difference from our buses being that this bus travels in the middle of the road in a sort of bus lane though fixed routes (same as trams). Hence the bus is not hindered from traffic jams. In places where the streets are narrow for a dual carriage way, the bus always has priority over the other traffic. The bus uses overhead electricity lines (like trams) but also has a normal engine, thus making it ideal to upgrade the service over the years, because while running on electricity is much less pollution, it will take a much longer time to implement a system which is run solely on electricity lines.

The second big problem in Malta is the prohibitive cost of taxis. Again in these countries, there are 2 sorts of taxis….the luxury cars for business people and upmarket tourists, and the normal cars (small cars like the yarns, fiat’s etc) which carry no more than 3 people, but at a much reduced prices. Most of ask would rather pay 50c to go to work in a shared small car, than paying Lm5 for a one way drive from home to work in a Mercedes. With this kind of service, a taxi is easily shared and you have the convenience of arriving in your destination in a reasonable time. Again for environmental purposes, only hybrid cars would be allowed to operate this service.

Motorinos and less powerful motorcycles should have their licences and taxes reduced, while if we are going ever to consider going to work on bicycles, shower facilities must be provided at the working place, as no one likes to smell bad for the rest of their day…..I am sure that this is something which discourages a lot of people commuting by bicycles.

The cost of owning a car in Malta is increasing year after year – higher fuel costs, no parking places left, pay car parks everywhere and the famous wardens – who are more than eager to dish out one ticket after another even for the slightest contravention.

This is just a starting plan which can be implemented more easily and with less initial costs. All the systems mentioned, monorails, underground, etc should be on the drawing paper immediately as well.

Circular underground railway/metro, mono rails or three way round the island circular bus system all are very good idea to revive present the inefficient public transport system of Malta. But to implement all these required substantial time and investment. In between some initiatives could be taken to do a quick overhaul and encourage the public transport system.

As a start, public bus service should be monitored more strictly by ADT so that on time schedule is maintain as efficiently as possible and more buses needed to be introduced in busy routes. Half yearly/Monthly/weekly reduced priced tickets could be introduced to encourage frequent users and new users. Also the last end trip timing needed to be extended up to 12am in most town so that anyone could return back safely at night without using personal cars. Besides this, bi-cycle/motorbike lanes could be constructed in more roads to reduce the car traffics in roads.

Refers to Dr Emmy Bezzina comments - 1st Para stating about the Disastrous state of our roads.
Going to Court, even small claims tribunals, is not something anybody enjoys. It took 22 months - ten sittings that Iklin Local Council were instructed to pay the costs. During the hearing, the latter appealed stating that the state of the road was "an Act of God" since it rained very heavily on the day of the accident. God might rule the weather, but we really cannot shift road maintenance on to HIM. Shame on the low mentality of those in power at Iklin Council.
Dr Bezzina, do you think that I was successful ?? It is true that I've been re-inbursed financially, but what about any future repurcussions in my car ? Who is going to pay for the time incurred in corresponding with various departments, calling ten times in Court, let alone the time lost at the place of work ?
No I was not successful, because after Courts decision Nov 2006, I still had to put pressure on Iklin Council to get paid.
Those car owners who are willing to get through all this hussle, could refer to Case 931/05 PM.

This is in reply to whoever suggests the use of Scooters and Motorbikes as an alternative:

Great suggestion, but dangerous. I myself love motorbikes, but I find it too dangerous on the Maltese roads to drive one. I've known several people who died or were badly injured in motorbike accidents. I was there myself right after a motorbike accident happened.

The risk of a motor bike is just too dangerous. I agree, Cars are not safe either, but you do have that feeling of slightly better protection. A bike for me is more or less a joy ride, but I'd never be on a main road with one during rush hour traffic for example where everyone is rushing to work breaking all kinds of laws.

The maltese roads are just too dangerous.

I agree with what Mr.Alex Ellul said, that is, that we should think 'outside the box'. Malta's rising traffic congestion is to say the least, chaotic, and fast approaching 'grid lock'. Therefore, there needs to be a radical overhaul of the various components defining our local public transport.

Certainly, the situation will deteriorate further in view of the arrival of huge foreign and local investments (e.g. private accomodation/ tourism-related projects in Sliema/St.Julians area, the recent opening of Mater Dei Hospital, Smartcity, a revamped MCAST, expansion of various industrial estates/ SME sites and retail centres around Malta, larger Airport terminal facilities, Cottonera projects and future investment envisaged around the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett, etc.) are greatly contributing towards the worsening of overall accessibility and mobility.

In my humble opinion, I believe Malta should have a centralised underground station for monorail transport established at Marsa (i.e. site currently occupied by the Power Station which has been declared not compliant with EU regulations and thus will be phased out in the coming years). A Park-and Ride facility can be then be created around this station (overlying this station and equipped with a multilevel retail mall and other amenities tied with the operability of this station). The shuttle service would eventually be linked to that currently available at the Crown/Horn Works Park and Ride facility).

Re: the Underground system, I suggest four lines: Line A will connect the proposed central station to Paola, Fgura, Zabbar and Smartcity. Line B will effectively link the station with Hamrun, Msida/Mater Dei, San Gwann and Paceville/Pembroke. Line C will proceed from Marsa station to Santa Venera, Mriehel, Birkirkara, Balzan, Lija and Naxxar (behind Mosta Technopark). A further Line (D) will link Marsa site to Hal Farrug, Luqa and enter the airport terminal area to support future (hopefully higher) tourist arrivals.

Moreover, the regional end point of each line i.e. Airport, Smartcity, Swieqi and Mosta/Naxxar would be become a regional smaller-scale multi-modal station equipped with multilevel car parks and a shuttle service/small bus termini linking the respective chosen sites to other localities (i.e. circular bus/minbus routes) not serviced directly by underground transport.

European funds may be tapped if implementation of the various aspects of this proposal is better defined.

If public transport would be totally reconstructed having a service that is good and punctual, then the solution is free public transport. Does anyone remember when there were 3 days free public transport, many people chose to go to work by bus because it was free of charge. I think it is better for those who work to pay a 'contribution towards public transport' which can be deducted from their salary and then they can travel free by bus for free.

For me there is only one solution - an underground system. Imagine a straight line going from Marsaxlokk to Cirkewwa without traffic, and with stations in between. It would be faster than going with your private vehicle and so people would use it, as everyone is obsessed with speed nowadays. The French metro would be a perfect model to imitate.

Minster GATT’s message is a genuine multi-purposes call for Prudence. In another words, to keep benefiting from what we have today we must change our life style. However, I might have understood the message differently. My apology goes to all including the minister.
Its no longer a secret - the environment is being destroyed because of over-production and over consumption, thanks to the continual upgrading of industrial technology output and consumption multiplies at an even greater pace.

Litter and pollution is not the same thing.

Many people just assume that, all we need to do to save the environment and solve resource problems is to have tighter pollution control, or to buy products that are recyclable, or not to use as many cars on the roads, or to design more energy efficient products ,,,,etc. A great number of people also confuse litter and pollution; they believe that environmental problems are caused by the slovenly, which must be cured by picking up after themselves. They forget that some of the most serious pollution problems, including climate change and ozone depletion….etc are caused by so many other things such as chemicals, detergents, deodorants …etc. Litter may be the problem of slobs, but pollution is the crime of the neat and clean.

Some Fingers point at technology.

A simple question- Is technology is the problem maker and therefore should be the problem solver?

We must not forget that, before industrialization the components and demands of life were different, it used to take a long time for someone to travel from one country to another usually entailing a lengthy dangerous trip by foot or on horseback. Now the same journey takes only few hours and the major hazards are bad airline food or the fear of lost luggage.

This is simple proof that any call to stop using certain products or to cut using certain type of technologies will be universally rejected.

It’s a hard fact to accept but strictly speaking the most direct and real reasons for the environment and resource problems are: Economic growth and our lifestyles

Whether this technology is a curse or a blessing, as it has been used both for good and evil. Nevertheless, it is still the main source of the tremendous changes in our lifestyles, and it will continue to be the chief factor in economic growth as we know it today.

So we come easily to the point that modern technology in use today is certainly not solving the environment and resource problems that the world is facing. Technology itself should no longer be regarded as evil. Where would we be without it? The real difficult pollution problems stem from acts of significant planning and design. Therefore, if we can design to pollute, we can also design not to pollute by the adoption of a new well-designed technology which must be the root for the decision against pollution.

German experience.

In Germany they have in place rules on recycling, and industry has responded with plans that hint at zero-emissions in manufacturing. Large technological gains in waste reduction, energy-efficiency, and resource recovery have already been made, and will continue to expand.

The German laws are intelligent in understanding that only the original manufacturers have the appropriate expertise to repossess raw materials. Thus, by making recycling the responsibility of the producers, these regulations encourage production of items designed for disassembly and resource recovery.

Environmental and resource problems will not be solved until we move into a more scientific economic system and change our lifestyles.

If well-designed technology will enable us to purchase electricity in another form other than what we know today... naturally this well-designed technology cannot be achieved without significant economical and industrial reformation!-So until a television set can reproduce itself, human beings are fully responsible for their creation and innovation.

The central terminus at Valletta has certainly become obsolete. For example why should it take a person 45 minutes to go from Msida to Qormi when it only takes 5 minutes by car(excluding traffic jams). Perhaps a well maintained decentralized system as already suggested will solve this inconvenience.

Another thing which in my opinion is unacceptable are those old so called buses and the black toxic clouds they leave behind. Safeguarding the environment should also be on top of the agenda.

Wishing success to minster Gatt on this initiative.

I am glad that the new Minister is facing the problem with new ideas.
I would go for a tram system on the lines of Strasbourg, a city which only introduced this system with great success only since 1996 or thereabouts. Many Maltese have seen it with their own eyes.

Isn't it about time a tiny island 30 miles by 10 miles should seriously invest in a Mono-Rail. It works well in places like Disney Land, Florida, Singapore, Some parts of the Toronto Transit Commission. They all run on a small scale and very efficiently, as well very environmentally friendly too. What are we doing investing large sums of money in expensive roads, bridges and a transport system which is out of date and fuel depended?

An underground network would be brilliant, a station or two in every town... and keep it simple. A couple of round robin trips... and before you know it you`re at your destination.

Malta is so small, its ridiculous we even use a car.... when in the UK.. walking from Sliema to Paceville, to get to your closest train station is considered the norm.

If Dr Austin Gatt gives the transport situation the same energy he gave to the IT sector.... we're in for a good time. Hopefully the country is willing to change... to the better.

All these ideas are great ... monorail, train, underground system etc etc .... but I dread think of the chaos that would be created if any works were to even start .... it takes months and practically years to do up one road, good examples, the St Paul's Bay ByPass, the Zebbug bypass, the roads to Mgarr, the Manwel Dimech Bridge, the road to the airport..... imagine trying to construct a tram or railway line .... let alone an underground .... as I said earlier .... dream on guys!!!!! I think Kevin Camilleri may have a good point as when there is no school traffic is much easier ... although I have noticed something else that seems to slow traffic down alot especially around Luqa and Marsa in the mornings ... the presence of traffic police controlling the traffic, somehow doesn't run as smoothly when they intervene as it does on other days .... like I said I use my moborbike so none of this really affects me, except that drivers have no consideration for motorcyclists so I have to be watching every move including the tarmac and potholes!!!

Would you believe that new buses have been imported without a single window?
And guess who imported them... no not the freezing Scandinavians, but the hot republic of Malta. Last year a foreign student fainted beside me.

The best buses are the oldies, with giant windows which you can fall out of, but which no one's ever fallen out of.

In summer the bus service goes into overload, I have to wait 4-5 buses before Imanage to fight my way onto one.

The routes are not rich enough to support my lifestyle - i don't just live at university, valletta and paceville.

I have to walk, to wait, to be patient with rude drivers, to bear the heat, to take into my stride the changed routes/times without prior notice...

It's a service... yet I feel humiliated whenever I use it.

In my comment below I mentioned the introduction of a three-tiered circular bus systems going round the island, non-stop. This will also eliminate the Valletta bus Terminus. an eysore if ever there was one. Valletta should be just another pick-up/drop-down point.

We need to do some thinking 'out of the box'.

Anyone noticed why in school holidays there is no traffic at all in the morning? The problem is that some parents still make sure that their children arrive infront of their school riding their dad's luxury car! This is a huge problem! Why the government doesn't remove this attitude by making these people actually pay the transport aswell? There would be much less traffic in the morning. Another thing is remove those cowboys who drive horses in the middle of traffic roads! Horses are for country sides or the racetrack, not for High Street Hamrun or Tower Road Sliema! I pay hundreds of Euros on insurance and road licence for my cars on a yearly basis for something I can control 100%, why shouldn't they be obliged to pay a heafty insurance and road licence for something that they cannot control at all if the horse decides he wants to have a free run?

I think that the main problem is reliability: if you know that at 8,10 am you are at the bus stop / tram stop / underground station and by 8,15 you are on a bus or train and by 8,45 you´re where you want to go, then who would want a car in a place like Malta... if not to carry heavy stuff or go shopping? I have lived in several European cities and when I go to Malta in summer I don´t usually have a personal car and it´s terrible. You can go from an address in London to an address in Paris in about 2h30min, but going from an address in Bugibba to an address in the south of Malta might take longer, much longer if the buses depart already full up from their origin station.

I suggest a metro-rail or monorail system that is cheaper and more adapted volume-wise to our needs. Line 1 could be from Pembroke to Smart City. Line 2 could join line 1 at City gate, it would go from City gate to Mosta following the old railway line till Attard. This could be eventually extended to Bugibba and Mellieha, and it could go underground in Valletta from City Gate to St. Elmo. Line 3 could go from Marsa to Siggiewi, through Qormi and Zebbug, linking to line 1 and 2 at between Marsa and Hamrun and could be extended to Paola, Zejtun and Zabbar. The main stations could be linked to bicycle parks, car parks and a flexible minibus service.

I think one could make a serious feasibility study and see if we can tap European funds for line 1. Given that such a system usually raises property prices around the stations, the government could use a private partnership that would share the financial burden in exchange for land around the main stations.

Transport in Malta is an undisciplined,dangerous and expensive experience. Our Roads are a veritable mess. Car Owners and Drivers should sue the Local Councils for the disastrous state of our Roads often involving damage to motor vehicles not to mention regular punctures.This is a shame and should be compensated for by the legal competent authorities.

Taking an authoritative initiative as is being done by Minister Dr. Gatt is a step in the right direction. Our people are renowed for their grumbling prowess,but equally famous for stoping there: Grumble,Grumble Without a Tumble the saying goes.Driving in Malta is a sour experience due to the enormous indiscipline of a good number of drivers who literally flout and violate the Laws of the Land.On the other hand,abuses are being done by Traffic Wardens and the so-referred to Speed Cameras. The latter cannot be accurate if they are not regularly maintained and the technicians who look after them have an obligation to attend Sessions before Tribunals to illustrate how a Car`s Speed is actually calculated.The time has come to challenge openly the Local Councils for the gross abuses being made where notifications go and people are found guilty at times without being notified in accordance with the Law.In such a Case, it is not the Law that is an Ass,but it is the Abuse of Local Councils which must be remedied.

Walking if possible is an excellent means of transport,but this is not feasible in a number of Cases.Public Transport must be completely restructured not only to provide better service,but adequate buses particularly at times when to travel on them is a stifling and stinking experience.

Anyway,congratulations to Austin Gatt for this initiative....now it is time for a Public Think Tank on the matter,but please let us first and foremost get down to having suitable roads,challenging abusive Local Council Decisions,controlling Traffic Wardens,and demand evidence of the accurateness of these money-gathering Speed Cameras,such as the ones on the Gudja By-Pass,a veritable theft in many a genuine case of non-speeding.

EMMY BEZZINA
Alpha Liberal Democratic Party
alpha@emmybezzina.org.
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Our bus system is erratically based on the old premise that Valletta is still the country's business centre as was the case when the first bus system was set up 100 years or so ago. Since then, the bus system has not seen much progress, even though we have three or four industrial estates, more business centers sprouting all over the island and Valletta city losing most of the service and commercial aspect etc. The hub system should be eliminated. I think that a three-tiered circular bus system is to be considered. With the present bus system, a person taking a trip from Qormi will have to ride two buses to reach Paola just a few Km distant, with a journey time of about one hour. With a circular system one will need only one bus ride (one stop) while the journey time would be reduced to approx. 15-20 minutes. It is also imperative that an expensive resource such as a bus should not be put at rest except for maintenance. It is the driver that should rest, not the bus. A circular system will do just that. This will economise on the capital costs and eventually keeps in check the ticket prices.

Taxis should be liberalised and include the introduction of part time taxis. This will reduce the cost of the taxi service, induce people to take taxis for work and other trips and will eventually boost the take-home money of the taxi owners themselves.Car owners must realise that a taxi service may be cheaper in the long run than buying a car and keeping it in a garage and including maintenance costs, licencing, insuring, damage etc.

A personal expeirence. I was an avid public transport user; it kicked off for economic reasons but then I soon found out other advantages, such as a relaxed ride (with some exceptions); could read a book or talk to someone without problems and most of all, was giving a hand to the environment. I used to work as at St Luke's where we had to wait for a bus for no longer than 15-20 mins. Soon after the migration, despite several correspondences to various authoritiies on the matter, the bus service at Mater Dei compelled me and likewise many others, to start using my own car. The service to the north is on an hourly basis, and this schedule does not coincide properly with my work schedule. It was useless telling the ADT to stagger the 145 and 450 services, say on the hour and the half hour, they said it was impossible, and the conseuqence is that both buses pass by in 5 minutes difference of each other. How about that? Minister Gatt or whoever of your ministry reads these contributions, kindly take note.

Its definetly time to act for the government, as traffic in our roads is getting to much. Why not encourage more use of motorbikes and hence having less emissions in our roads, and surely less traffic will conceive. Motorbike licence up to 125cc should go down from Lm 20 to Lm10 in order to encourage new motorbike drivers.

It is "high time" the government implements concrete measures that would encourage the use of scooters in Malta (especially electric scooters).

I am not only referring to financial measures such as less tax and lower licence fees but also physical measures such as safety, special lanes and many more motorcycle parking bays.

Personally I think it's time that the number of vehicles on Malta was controlled. Islands like Bermuda have a limit of the number of cars a person or each family can own, thus ensuring less congestion, pollution and parking problems. Until those put in place to improve our surroundings truly make some tough decisions and stop pussy footing around for fear of upsetting others (in case on time or another a 'favour' is needed), we will never progress. Sadly everyone is related to someone here and so no-one wants to be the torch-bearer of bad news. Lastly please invest in improving the existing public transport situation we already have before inventing underground or overhead solutions; it doesn't take a genius to realise that the frequency of buses on a popular routes should be increased over the busiest tourism season of the year, mostly from and to beach areas, while offering a late but frequent service for remote villages. Lastly what is stopping anyone from encouraging companies to have their employees car-pool? Doe no one offer incentives or some form of subsidy to those taking on the initiative?

First and foremost let us all learn that for short distances one could walk or cycle. Most of the people today use the car even to go just round the corner! To reduce the number of vehicles on the road, the basis of all is education!! A small walk would be a healthier option and would reduce a significant amount of vehicles on our roads. Car pooling and organising mini-vans for work would also be a wise option; it would be cheaper and faster as less cars on the road would ultimately mean less time to get to destination.

Ok, how about this, an underground system that stops at say 10-15 main stops spread across the island, then a cheap mini bus service above ground at each stop for anyone who would have a bit of a walk to get home (or to work).

How about monorails as found in Sydney and Bangkok? After all our island has become like one big city!

i hope somebody from the ministry will read these ideas!

One thing that has always really amazed me is how certain small cars always seem to cost a disproportionally high amount of money. Ok I know an icon is an icon is an icon, but still..

For instance just imagine if the price of the Smart car was dramatically reduced. Probably it would become an instant hit with all University students who would find it ideal, especially considering its economy, safety and parking advantages, not to mention its coolness factor. Definitely better than a motorbike if you ask me !

Unfortunately it seems that sellers in general prefer to work on the basis of "high price x few sales" instead of "low price x many sales" when the second model should make far more sense to the supplier, especially if one considers the increased need for consumables, parts, servicing, etc. as a result of selling more of these small cars.

To return to the example of the Smart car, since it has by now surely already recouped all its development costs, I really fail to see what is preventing the (overseas) suppliers from making a paradigm shift in their pricing structure.

Quite frankly, if the price did get adjusted downwards, it could very well result in a change in the whole structure of car ownership in Malta, especially for the younger generation. So what are we waiting for people ? And why doesn't some dealer get hold of a large batch of these cars and start the ball rolling ?

It seems you all forgot about the proposal of Mr. Anglu Xuereb to invest in overhead rails over the main arteries.
These would be electric cabins which reduce emissions and will overfly traffic.
These could be installed on major flow ways for a start and then hopefully replace the buses.
The system must not be with a central hub like Valletta but a serious of round trips which overlap eachother and can make you arrive anywhere by changing two or more cabins if needed.

Kevin Camilleri says that he doesn't expect a bike to be next to him while he's making a turn.
That's a really inexcusable bad attitude from a driver. It's his responsibility to check if he has anyone on his side before making a turn.
Furthermore, many drivers simply overtake cyclists as they're riding along the side and simply turn left into a sidestreet, crossing the cyclist's way in the process. This is illegal and it's also mentioned in the highway code. One cannot make such turns. Drivers are obliged by law to slow down and wait until the cyclist or motorcyclist has safely crossed the sidestreet and only then can a driver make a left turn.
Do not underestimate the speed that a cyclist might be going at. It's not simply a matter of pressing onto the brakes when a driver pushes you into a sidestreet without your intension to go there. I could be going at 60km/h or more on a bicycle on a main road and it's very dangerous when a car crosses my way illegally. This has recently happened to me with a police car even. Even they do not know the rules, who else is supposed to know them? It's a disgrace.

I guess that by now it is obvious that in our roads we have good obedient drivers and reckless ones. Definately one easy way of starting to reduce traffic in our roads is to decrease the license charge from Lm20 to Lm 10, for motorbikes not exceeding 125cc. Such bikes are very economical,( say 200km with Eur5 (incredible)) This would start of reducing traffic from our roads and hence less pollution, as small bikes have very low emissions, considering also that basically all small bikes below 125cc are all four stroke operated.
Also I cannot imagine how the government subsidised for new buses of which remained diesel operated. Gas buses, as the UK ones are more efficient and definatley less pollution emissions are spread through the air that all of us breath. Time for solid action needed.

For a country the size of Malta there is absolutely no need to do anything more but improve the system that there is now. Those clapped-out dinasour-age vehicles that pass for busses badly need to be replaced.

More importantly, so do the personnel that operate the system. The arrogant, insensitive, undisciplined, antagonistic attitude towards the paying public needs a seachange. Probably more so than the vehicles themselves.

Improve on what you have now and make it work better and forget that nonsense about underground or more bridges – too expensive to build or too claustrophobic to travel on.

I would suggest first and foremost to shift the main bus terminus from Valletta to a place like Ta' Qali where it is geographically central and also out of traffic congested areas. This would greatly improve the reliance on timetables. Furthermore there should then be an underground express service to Valletta from Ta Qali. Another service with a few stops on the way in Hamrun and Floriana would also be needed. One should be able to get from Ta' Qali to Valletta in under 5 minutes!
Other direct services may be implemented as need-be.

All we need is a good viable and efficient PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM. The only thing is that no one in authority (Transport or otherwise) has the guts to take the bull by its horns. The few unruly and stupid bus drivers/owners need to be removed from this system of public transport. The 'slow coaches' that is those drivers who from Zurrieq to Valletta take 45 minutes should be immediately removed from this same system. And the enforcement officers need to enforce ALL the regulations, be it time, fumes, etc. An efficient transport system will put me, for one, back to the system because it is more viable to take the Public Transport than to go with my own vehicle. BUT the thing is that I cannot rely on the Malta public transport system. And by the way, should the government opt to reform the Malta Public transport system, the first thing which should be done is to remove and dissolve the Public Transport Association. It is a pain in the neck and an obstacle to progress.

Caroline, the reason the the Caribbean islands have "taxi" service is because they do not have a worthwhile public transport system. In fact, this taxi service is their public transport. To have that here as well as our current t public transport system will be a mess. We already have too many red vans that think the own the road!!

The only real option to public transport is to create some sort of a rail system. As someone suggested, the perimeter of the island would be best as that is where we have space. However, Malta being Malta, we have rust to deal with and I am not too sure how our salt air will act on the long term cost of maintenance of the system whether it is on or under ground.

I for one am a biker as well, and I am surprised that there are not more on the roads as Malta has the ideal weather for it. Yes, if you use gel, forget it. As for sweating, I do not have that problem on the bike. I think however that the reason there are not as many bikes as there should be is the fact that you cannot get insurance.

We used to consider the idea of an underground as too huge an investment, too large a project and also too large a risk to our national heritage. And yet Enemalta has quietly dug a tunnel running half the length of Malta at not too huge an expense. Maybe we should be looking at this again?

It's refreshing to hear a minister grabbing the bull by it's horns, especially regarding this traffic issue. Our roads are now saturated with cars and it's become a nightmare to drive anywhere. I take no pleasure in driving at all.

I agree with some other readers that we should invest in a well planned underground railway system connecting all major towns and industrial estates. And why not implement a tram system around the Valletta waterfront area stretching all the way to nearby urban areas like Sliema, St.Julians and areas like Hamrun and Blata il-Bajda?

I been told by many that such a thing is not possible in a country as small as ours. I think that's nonsense. Sure, it's ambitious and challenging but I think anything is possible if people put their heads together.

Finally, the level of our existing public transport system needs to go up, up and up if it has any hope of attracting more commuters.

One solution might be the construction of a circular underground 3-4 carriage electric train. It can be constructed in just 12 stops and a mini bus service can complete the network to the areas close to the station.
In my opinion, the stations could be located in Kalkara (Smart City), Zejtun, Birzebbuga, Airport, Qormi, Rabat, Mellieha, Mosta, St. Julian’s, Mater Dei Hospital, Floriana and Paola.
If the system was reliable enough, our environment would be much healthier. Moreover, we would all save thousands of Euros per year in fuel, licences, maintenance and repairs on our private cars.

I THINK THE BEST SOLLUTION IS TO DO WHAT THEY DO IN ITALY IN THE BIG CITIES, ONE DAY CARS THAT FINISH WITH AN ODD NUMBER CAN DRIVE, THE NEXT DAY CARS WITH EVEN NUMBERS. MALTA HAS BECOME ONE BIG CITY, SO WHY NOT?

Love him or hate him, this is the minister that has the guts to revolutionise transport as we have come to hate it.Good luck Mr.Gatt.

To use your own car should be an exception and on a need only basis in a small country such as ours. An efficient alternative means of transport will solve many problems beit traffic congestions, better air quality, less use of fuel etc etc. I urge Dr Gatt to work hard on this initiative to give Malta a breath of fresh air it desperately needs.

when i visited Grenada and other small Caribbean islands they had small 10 seater minibuses which would stop and drop you off on demand for a small fee. There were no definite routes except linking the main towns to capital. It worked a treat and if the motorist can have an almost door to door service it might just get them off the roads.

Lets get the transport back into the hands of the people and not the monopoly we now have here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BAD SERVICE BAD ATTITUDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another thing - we definitely need to look into eWork, or Telework. Imagine if you were able to work 2 days out of 5 from the comfort of your home .... reduction in traffic is only ONE advantage of eWork!

My father, have over 10/15 years ago suggested to the relevant authorities a plan how this can be solved. He had worked out a formula, where at that time, every Maltese citizen pays Lm10 per year and the bus operates every route is very good schedules, like every 10 minutes. Such will avid that the bus driver needs to stop and collect money on every stage, hence les time is wasted. With less cars on the road, the busses will be much or efficient, and with efficient public transport, we will (like foreign countries) relaying on public transport. I would take this further today, and suggest that the buses will be clean energy powered with the difference in capital / operating costs being subsidized by the government.

Malta is small and we can set as an example to other foreign countries on this.

I use public transport to and from Valletta about three days a week. , I would use it more if the buses were much more modern, well-ventilated (not stifling in the summer) and not of the bone-jolting kind. Malta could save so much on energy if many more peoplk were convinced that using buses is both comfortable and convenuent. When will we have a government that is willing to tackle this problem as bravely and as wisely as it deserves?

Ms. Pace commented on the way bikers are threated from Car drivers. In my opinion... it's true that myself in the first place I don't see a bike as I see a car. However... sometimes bikers are dangerous. They overtake you from your inside, swivvle between cars, and I'm sorry when I'm turining from the mainroad into a side street, I don't expect a bike next to me while I'm making my turn. If you want to drive a bike, drive a bike yourself and obey the traffic just as car drivers do. And I don't agree with people who want scooters to be the solution to traffic problems. I don't want to drive a scooter, get wet to work and risk my life. I'm risking my life less when driving my car.

I definetely agree with Mr. Winston Edgoose that Malta needs an underground system...It is high time that the government takes on a serious study about this need. I'm not saying an underground which is as extensive as the one in london, but maybe one that connects Bugibba-St.Julians-Sliema-Valletta-Bormla -Smart City.

Scooters, motor bikes and bicycles are fine to "bypass" traffic jams. However, they have their cons as well.

1. They are "open" means of transportation, and therefore may not be suitable for all kinds of weather.

2. Crash helmets, although obligatory for obvious safety reasons, are not that friendly to wear, causing sweat and ruining hairdos ... and it's not that nice to meet colleagues and clients in "helmet hair" and smelling like pigs ... is it?

I walk everyday to work and I have a 25 minute walk. I know of many poeple who have a ten minute walk and hassle their cars to work!!!! So, we should start from here. It is healthy and will be healthier when we wake up and decide that all these unacceptable emissions we have from MANY vehicles are doing a great deal of harm to the citizens (but then we have Mater Dei !!!!). . Then those who go to the same location of work should start ''sharing'' cars. Just by applying the above, a lot of cars will be eliminated from our roads.There are so many other things we can do but never get to it. As I always say ''Hope is eternal''

One option that should be considered is the building of bridges across Marsamxett and the Grand Harbour.

There is a more straightforward way of reducing cars on the road; one that is for some reason consistently ignored by policy-makers: Reduce the motorbike license age threshold to 16. Young people would rather have a small 50cc moped at 16 than not be able to get about in the first place. By the time they're 18 years old, a significant proportion of them would have gotten used to their bikes in the first place, thus reducing the proportion of young people who automatically feel that they need to get a car (new or second-hand) as soon as they obtain their car license.

This is the situation in countless cities around the world, in places with worse roads than ours, worse driving habits, and rainier (and colder) climates.

Why we still have one of the lowest motorbike riding rates in Europe is completely beyond me. So how about some financial incentives to those buying a 125cc bike? A year off insurance, for example, or a rebate on bike-tax. It can be done!

One of the biggest strategic mistakes in Malta (and there were many!) was the demise of the light rail system. Malta needs a reliable system of mass transport such as railway, tramway, monorail or similar.

we sould use the island's perimeter to get to and from another place..
just round a cricle and into the centre..
could be underground..
and even boats.

What about the use of scooters and small motorbikes?

Malta needs an underground simple! Not a big network just one covering the main towns.

Well I have found an alternative means of transportation, rather than use my car for obvious reasons... I invested in a motor scooter, however whilst thinking up new schemes of alternate transportation and roads, it would be advisable if the Roads department were to consider a lane for motorcylists, who are endangering their lives due to the way car, bus, truck, van and all other drivers have no respect for motorcyclists, and don't even consider or see them on the roads as they speed past, throw cigarettes in our face, open car doors, stop abruptly, overtake without signalling and basically make our experience on the roads all the more hazardous, not the mention all the potholes and dips in the tarmac for which you also have to constantly look out for as you drive!!! Talk about making our roads safer .... dream on!!!

I am one of those few females who ride a motor bike to and from work ie: from Birkirkara to Floriana. With all the traffic jams in the morning its more than worth it and if the insurance policy isn't so costy, well.. I guess there would be more like me in the streets and less cars packing everywhere.. its high time to find an efficient solution to this island's problems rather than repeating what's the situation in Malta !!

What we do and what we say don't always agree.

First we change the world by introducing the Park & Ride (which is increasing traffic towards and from Valletta/Floriana) and then we talk about alternative means of transport to reduce traffic and pollution ...

An easy scheme to implement and which will REALLY reduce traffic & pollution would be the installation of a number of Park & Rides around Malta. Why not use Public Transport? Simple - because it's dirty and does not meet the requirements of those who would be interested in travelling by public transport.

But with fuel prices going higher and higher, a modal shift in transportation WILL take place sooner or later. But the Ministry must provide the alternatives. Otherwise the public will meet a dead end.

I totally agree something must be done. Accidents are too high. It may mean taxing the motorist which is not a vote winner. I wish you luck Mr Gatt.