The government’s plans for electrifying the vehicle fleet should lead to an immediate moratorium on the construction of new petrol stations, ADPD chairman Carmel Cacopardo said on Saturday.
"Conveniently," however, the government was failing to take this step, Cacopardo said.
Addressing a news conference following the government’s announcement of plans to introduce new, more competitive electricity rates for electric car users and subsequent pledges from the Nationalist opposition, ADPD said the two big parties were failing to explain the whole picture when it comes to transport, electricity and climate change.
ADPD, the green party, noted that following the publication of the document “Towards Cleaner Vehicles on Our Roads” released last June, another document on charging points for electric vehicles had now been issued, the "National Policy for Electric Vehicle Public Charging Infrastructure".
Like the previous document, instead of proposing solutions, the new document raised many questions to which the government seems to have no answers, the party argued.
Party secretary general Ralph Cassar said that a serious consultation process should mean the government proposing different scenarios and a plan to be then discussed in detail and improved upon.
“Once again we have a document that instead of looking at the changes that need to be made and giving us the whole picture, ignores the most important aspects of sustainable mobility.
”While the document speaks of the effect of a substantial increase in electric vehicles on the electricity distribution system, it failed to propose solutions.“All it says is that electricity provider Enemalta should be consulted. The fact is, no matter how hard they try to hide it, it is not possible for the distribution system to keep up with the current number of cars on the roads,” Cassar said.
Party leader Cacopardo added that the government had failed to mention the substantial excise revenue on petrol and diesel which will dry up.
The 2021 financial estimates put the revenue at an estimated €154 million.
“Government should have the courage to tell us how it intends to replace this revenue from other sources.
”This substantial revenue, he said, is essential to sustain important public services.
“How can we have a serious public consultation exercise if government remains silent on such important aspects?”
He said that whoever is promising low prices is not being realistic and honest.
“What we are asking for is for more transparency on government’s part. Do the proposed electricity prices for car charging include a replacement for the excise on fossil fuel excise? This revenue is necessary and the country needs it - the government needs to be clear on this important point," he insisted.
He added that the electrification of the vehicle fleet on its own is insufficient and must be accompanied by other measures to reduce road traffic.
“It is clear that government has no intention of reducing vehicles on our roads, probably hoping that the price of electric cars will lead to a reduction on its own,” Cacopardo said.
He said that the government's own transport masterplan states that 50% of journeys are less than 15 minutes long. This makes it possible for several measures to be implemented, some of which are mentioned in the government’s own masterplan but whose implementation has so far been postponed.
The measures include the upgrade of roads to make them safer, including pedestrianisation, low-emission zones, and people-friendly roads, safe routes for bicycles along all main roads and priority for bicycles, electric bicycles and scooters in towns and villages, a bus rapid transit system with lanes reserved for buses and free public transport for everyone.