The latest debates about mobility in this island have focused (almost ad nauseam) on the road-widening projects which are being rolled out all over Malta.

While I stand by the argument that road widening on its own will only bring more cars, it is not only and always about road widening. The attempts to make believe that road widening will reduce pollution, increase leisure time and reduce fuel costs are misleading and unfair to those communities that will suffer the impacts of increased car traffic in their neighbourhoods.

I would like to take the opportunity to talk about issues of equity and justice.

The almost obsessive policy to cater for the car at the expense of everything else has been long coming.

Look at our streets today. There is an overbearing presence of cars everywhere. We facilitate cars while moving and we further facilitate cars when parked (which is most of the time).

The cost of this is huge. And we can start looking at some facts here.

Let’s talk about space.

In an island lacking land and space resources, we should be world experts at making efficient use of space, especially public space which is so limited in our towns and villages.

We don’t!

A quick look around and we find that much of our space is dedicated to cars, whether through the long-standing practice of one-way systems that accommodate faster traffic and more parking, allocation of otherwise open public space to parking and the removal of critical infrastructure such as trees that provide clean air and shade, for the parking or passing of more cars.

When will we realise that pedestrians and cyclists have equal rights to the road as those in cars?

We have removed and shrunk pavements in many towns and villages to accommodate the car.

All this at the expense of those that walk because they can and want to or maybe because they just can’t do otherwise.

It is sad indeed to have to watch elderly persons in my village navigate streets without proper infrastructure for what is their right to access.

And what about our children? They also cannot drive. What is the rate of children’s independent mobility in this island?

Children’s independent mobility (i.e. the number of independent trips carried out per week) is close to zero because of the fear of the road, fear which is partly transmitted from car-dependent parents who never walk the streets and partly coming from the lack of safe infrastructure for walking in our urban environments. And if one even contemplates talking about cycling for children, you are considered irresponsible!

It is so bad that a programme to get children to walk in the streets was recently launched in Birkirkara.

Children were given yellow vests and were supervised while walking!

The programme Nimxu Mixja is great but is very telling of the sad state we find ourselves in today in terms of equity and justice of our road infrastructure.

This discriminatory transport system is also having other impacts on our communities. A look at the road accidents and injuries statistics over the past decade or so shows an increase in vulnerability for those outside the car.

When the number of pedestrians being hit and killed on our roads goes up it’s a clear indication that our infrastructure is not serving the purpose of protecting everyone equally. When will we realise that pedestrians and cyclists have equal rights to the road as those in cars?

The list of impacts is very long and includes issues of public health, societal well-being, liveability and ultimately social justice.

The discussion to be had in this case is very important because it isn’t just about road widening. It’s about the people that inhabit our towns and their needs for roads to living a healthy and fulfilling life.

Professor Maria Attard is head of Geography and Director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Malta.