In Malta, politicians doing the bidding of big party donors has long been the order of the day.

We, the people of Malta, are consistently sold out for dubious cash injections that keep the financially crippled parties barely limping along.

As a result, critical decisions are driven by a disastrous quid pro quo dynamic rather than scientific research and a moral duty to serve the national interest.

This explains why the Labour government wastes tens of millions on infrastructure that has been obsolete for decades.

In the 1960s, the flyover philosophy started dominating transport policies in various continents. Building the flyover alongside the road was believed to allow uninterrupted traffic flow while trains pass by.

Flyovers were expected to prevent traffic jams and mitigate accidents at railway crossings.

Thirty years later, in the 1990s, planners realised that their original thinking was totally skewed. In fact, as flyovers increased, people began to use their private vehicles even more.

This ‘induced demand theory’ has shown that when drivers have more routes, they choose to continue using this medium instead of utilising public transport. Thus, the congestion grows, as does the pollution, frustration and protracted travel times.

As a result, various European cities have halted the building of flyovers and removed spaces designated for cars, replacing them with urban parks and pedestrianised streets.

Launched in 2011, the Madrid Park Río project provided citizens with recreational spaces, walking paths and opportunities to explore the city’s history. In this instance, the motorway was not completely demolished, with traffic diverted through underground routes.

Europe and much of the developed world saw the light in the 1990s. Yet, in 2024, Infrastructure Malta insists on embracing a failed planning policy that will burden the Maltese public today and for generations to come.

The Msida flyover is just another sad example of this pathetic drama playing out before our very eyes.

Enter the Chamber of Architects, which propose an alternative plan that would reroute vehicles through backstreets while delivering a sizable green lung to Msida residents.

Ivan Falzon, the man at the helm of Infrastructure Malta, drew from the hip and shot down the proposal in a flash. Falzon labelled the proposal a “desperate attempt to make headlines” while also underlining that “this time it’s too late”.

As flyovers increased, people began to use their private vehicles even more- Arnold Cassola

I assume that such a retort is borne of a weak character that is unable to act against the wishes of his political masters.

Falzon needs to put on his big boy pants and show some leadership. He’s still in time to prove that his appointment had more to do with his ability to catalyse change and less to do with his past as a fervent canvasser in the Labour Party.

It’s not like the government hasn’t changed its mind about projects in the past. Despite the deed already being signed, the National Archives, in Ta’ Qali was shelved at the last minute to make room for a concert space and a large car park, leaving the country without a crucial storage space for its most valuable documents.

For eight years, the Labour Party has embarked on a tree cutting, road widening, asphalt pouring, flyover building €700 million spree with nothing to show for the ludicrous spend.

Actually, if eight years ago getting from point A to point B took 30 minutes now it takes 50.

The policy must change. The people at the helm must change. And the bloated parties need to stop raking in donations from companies that shake down the taxpayers on a routine basis.

Whatever the IM CEO says, the Msida flyover project must be scrapped. The Swieqi flyover project must also be scrapped.

Breathing in tarmac, concrete, noxious fumes and succumbing to incessant traffic noise is not acceptable in today’s Europe.

We must invest in modern mass transport solutions, spacious pedestrian walkways and cycle lanes immediately. We must spark a political shift that makes people, beauty, efficiency, sustainability and the mental health of our citizens the foremost priority.

It’s a long, long way but we’ll get there… (hopefully, not by car).

Arnold Cassola was an independent MEP candidate in last month’s European Parliament elections.