Driving on the green

Years ago, early in the morning, in the backseat of a cramped school van, I used to wonder at the skyline of Aldo Moro Street. During those years it was dominated by the chimneys of Marsa power station. I had all the time I needed to observe and take in as the Marsa traffic jams of the morning rush had already acquired their proverbial reputation.

Year in year out I observed the brown haze appearing at times on the horizon of Marsa. Thanks to the efforts of my various science teachers, I learnt what it was. Smog. Oxides of nitrogen and sulphur condensed in the morning mist. Smog. Noxious fumes gathering at ground level to harm humans, destroy buildings and damage crops. Smog. Dangerous fumes caused by emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Today smog is an everyday feature of not only the Marsa horizon but of all the Malta horizons. Tal-Barrani Road, Aldo Moro Road, Rue d'Argens, Regional Road, Mdina Road, Cannon Road. The consumption of fossil fuels has increased dramatically in the past decade thanks to the higher demand for electricity generation and to the increased use of private vehicles for transport purposes, which I will consider in this feature.

Recent Eurostat statistics are the latest pointers to the unchecked rise in vehicle numbers over the last years. The Eurostat statistics show that Malta, the smallest EU country, at 50 cars per 100 inhabitants, has the highest ratio among the then accession countries, even beating the EU average of 15. Statistics issued by Eurostat in 2003, when the number of vehicles was still 265,412, stated that on accession Malta would be the country with the fifth highest car per capita ratio.

Vehicular emission is undisputed as a leading source of air pollution on our islands. Levels of air benzene, ozone, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are among the highest in Europe and in parallel, community rates of hay fever and asthma top the world charts. Benzene and toluene are confirmed carcinogens while nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide are known respiratory irritants and cause acid rain.

It is ironic that while there is a lot of argumentation about a sustainable, cost-effective health system, the preventive measures that would soften the overload of the public health system are not being pushed. Additionally, increasing agricultural losses due to air pollution are not welcome when agricultural land is on the decline and farming is not a trendy occupation.

Only a few institutions have taken the initiative of introducing a minimal number of electric vehicles in their service and there seems to be no strategy in motion to replace more of the government's fleet of conventional vehicles with solar or electric or hybrid alternatives. On the other hand importation taxes are deterring the public from investing in hybrid or electric or solar cars and there seems no sustained effort to strongly subsidise more environmentally friendly vehicles. As if this was not enough, last year the use of electric scooters to commute short distances met with incredible red tape.

I am perplexed how to date public transport fails to reach its potential of being a workable solution in the quest for sustainable transport on our minute islands. Although improvements in the quality of the buses and of the bus shelters are appreciated, they do not themselves achieve a system of sustainable public transport.

Suggestions mentioned for a long time by various stakeholders are still ink on paper. These include the higher use of regional schedules and direct routes, more nocturnal transport, schedule information at bus shelters and bus tickets valid for a year. Additionally the reluctance by authorities to introduce bicycle lanes fails my understanding: transport by bicycle for our short distances has strong environmental, health and social credentials.

I am also a firm supporter of the initiatives taken as part of European Mobility Week, the most popularly known being Car Free Day. I am pleased to note that national and local authorities are giving increasing attention to the Car Free Day initiative. However, I remain perplexed that up to now it amounts only to a public awareness campaign, very short of its true potential. It is time to convert it into a full measure by embarking on a fully fledged campaign to establish a true alternative to the use of private vehicles for everyday transport.

It is all about driving on the green - for the good of our country and ourselves, after all.

Owen Bonnici is a Labour candidate for the European Parliament and a Labour councillor.