One single page in Times of Malta on December 6 delivered a triple-whammy of disquieting news on transportation and emissions.
Even a mildly attentive reader will have joined the dots, but government officials give every indication of struggling to perform these simple exercises of logic, so let us do it for them.
First, we were informed that EU funds allocated for electrifying Malta’s public transport bus fleet have been redirected to subsidising electric car purchases. This is as clear a signal as any that the authorities are prioritising private vehicle ownership over sustainable mass transit.
In another piece, we learned that Malta recorded the highest increase in greenhouse gas emissions among EU countries in 2023, with emissions rising by 31 per cent since 2005. Malta is supposed to be gunning for an EU-mandated 22 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030.
Fat chance.
Just think: a runner trying to win the 100-metre race by sprinting away from the finish line.
A third report informed us that the government has issued a call for investors to propose projects for Malta’s first offshore wind farm. But officials do not expect to see any wind farm in place until 2032 at the very earliest. File that one under “nice if it happens”.
The thinking here is scattershot.
Who is going to spend money on these costly pieces of equipment if they can’t use them safely?
This set of policy decisions and aspirations implies little to no consideration is being given to addressing congestion. Car dependency is being entrenched. Immensely costly projects that could reduce topline emissions figures will probably not see the light of day for a decade. The wind farm that Malta is envisioning is easily in the €1 billion neighbourhood.
Sustainable, people-focused mobility does not get a look-in.
This is perverse. Getting people out of cars and onto pedal bicycles, e-bikes, and e-scooters – just as is happening everywhere else in Europe – would go a long way to fixing several problems at once.
The sums of money needed to improve the situation for cycling and other forms of active mobility are modest compared to electric vehicle subsidies and wind farms.
Money alone is not the issue, though. The government has committed to modest spending, but even then, funds have been deployed ineffectively.
In October 2022, then-transport minister Aaron Farrugia announced that €35 million was going to be spent over five years to build up to 60 kilometres of cycling routes. The first phase of this frankly underwhelming project, focusing on the Grand Harbour area, was supposed to be ready this month. That deadline has been missed.
As usual, the cart has been put before the horse. (The horse is supposed to go in front of the cart, in case any Ministry of Transport officials are reading this.)
The government has, to its credit, earmarked funds for incentives to encourage the adoption of pedal electric cycles (pedelecs), cargo bikes and other forms of sustainable mobility. Grants were made available this year for people to have €500 shaved off the cost of a pedelec and as much as €2,000 paid toward buying a cargo bike.
But who is going to spend money on these costly pieces of equipment if they can’t use them safely? Without proper infrastructure, these incentives will not create the systemic shift needed to reduce Malta’s car addiction and tackle what can now be safely termed an emissions crisis.
Other relatively conservative outlays could go some way to changing mindsets.
Under a government scheme in the Netherlands, commuters can claim €0.21 per kilometre cycled to work. If a bike is used frequently for commuting, employers may contribute to its purchase cost and deduct the expense from their taxes.
In Malta, employers should be incentivised to provide bike-friendly facilities like secure parking, lockers and even showers – especially relevant in our hot summers (or rainy days, like the ones we’ve been having recently).
Awareness campaigns to promote the benefits of cycling – improved health, reduced commuting costs, and, yes, lower emissions – have been too timid and ineffective. We need bolder outreach in schools and communities to shift perceptions.
But none of this will work unless these initiatives are joined together. Pilfering funds from one pot to fill another is utterly misguided.
Sit down. Think. Join the dots. And then act.
Peter Leonard is public outreach officer at Rota, the cycling promotion NGO.