A plea on behalf of Maltese motorists (1)

The only time I visited Ireland, the country had just joined the European Union. Besides Ireland's awesome natural beauty, I was struck by the number of billboards up and down the country informing all and sundry that the roads we were travelling on had been reconstructed, resurfaced or whatever with the assistance of funds received from the EU.

When I, together with the majority of the Maltese nation, voted in favour of Malta's entry into the EU in 2004, one of the many things I assumed I would benefit from was a dramatic improvement in the quality of our road network. Alas with hand on heart I can only say that the situation has worsened over the past four years.

Other than a few new arterial roads (which I must admit have, in fact, been reconstructed to a good standard) the rest of our road network is in a disastrous condition.

I have travelled to most of the EU countries including the newer and poorer entrants and nowhere have I encountered roads like ours. Would anybody like to challenge that statement?

If there was a contest for the EU country with the most potholes (especially after a few inches of rainfall), rather than the "un point" we achieved in the song contest, we would have won the pothole competition hands down with maximum votes and every year!

Is this situation ever going to change? To rub salt into the wound or as the Italians say sopra corna bastonate, the Maltese motorist is burdened with what is probably the highest vehicle tax regime in Europe that obviously makes our cars amongst the most expensive across the 25 states.

I know that the tax levied on motor vehicles is one of the major sources of government revenue. Even if one is to accept the argument that tax revenue has to come from somewhere, then surely it is not unreasonable to demand the "luxury" of driving our cars on roads that are not riddled with potholes and all sorts of structural deformations.

It is no wonder that our cars are near a total write-off after five or six years of use.

The unnecessary damage caused to our vehicles is also an additional "tax" being borne by the Maltese motorist.

I understand that Malta has available €850 million in EU structural funds. How much of this considerable sum is to be spent on the road network?

There is a provision of €10.4 million for road works in the 2009 financial estimates.

I presume that this is only the net contribution by the Maltese Exchequer and does not include funds to be received from the EU.

This sum is a pittance considering the appalling condition of our roads.

If, on the other hand, that is the total amount to be spent, then we are just kidding ourselves. Bringing the roads up to acceptable standards, and I stress the word acceptable rather than best of class, will involve the expenditure of at least 10 times that figure!

Rather than delaying or postponing the payment of utility bills as some seem to be advocating, I believe the Maltese consumer would be morally justified in refusing to pay more road tax until acceptable assurances are forthcoming from the government that our road network will, in its entirety, be brought up to scratch over a reasonable period of time.