In a debate organised by Times of Malta entitled ‘The Road to Reliable Public Transport’, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia and Malta Public Transport general manager Konrad Pulé sat with Maria Attard from the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development, economist Marie Briguglio and the CEO of eCabs, Matthew Bezzina.
While the panellists raised pertinent points about Malta’s transport and infrastructure problems, these were sadly met with a lack of will and vision on the part of our leaders and policymakers.
Governments – past and present – have approached the problem of traffic through reactive solutions: widening roads to accommodate the growing use of private vehicles. Decades of policy failures have led us to the current situation of perpetual traffic and congestion and an unacceptably high number of road deaths.
Lacking in the approach to Malta’s transport ills is an acknowledgement that the root cause of these problems is not bottlenecks or narrow roads but a transport model highly dependent on private cars.
Alternative modes of transport – particularly public transport, walking and cycling – are not sufficiently accommodated within the existing transport regime. When they are included, they are an addendum secondary to car traffic.
This has led to disconnected and substandard bicycle paths, inexistent or convoluted pedestrian crossings and an inefficient public transport system, which is not convenient enough for most daily needs.
In effect, our current transport model is highly unequal. Some cannot afford to own a car, others barely afford one and many use a car out of necessity since substandard public transport leaves them with no choice.
We need to be aiming towards a transport model that is not only sustainable but, primarily, more equitable, too. We are currently being failed in this regard and, while countless workers depend on public transport for their daily commute, the Malta Public Transport head admitted that it is not the company’s aim to produce a public transport system to cater for everyday needs.
Decades of policy failures have led us to perpetual traffic and congestion and an unacceptably high number of road deaths- Miguel Azzopardi
Ultimately, systemic issues require systemic, and bold, solutions. In the debate, Farrugia posited that no government wants to penalise private car use – even if experts agree that it is the only effective solution – for fear of a political fallout.
However, an alternative view is that any politician who can successfully solve the congestion problem, provide an effective public transport network and ensure access to safe and efficient mobility for all social groups would be lauded a national hero.
In truth, this is not a matter of ‘imagination’ but of observation and application. We need to forcefully throw out the false argument that Malta cannot apply the tried-and-tested solutions of other countries.
Cities across Europe and the world, of various sizes, climates, cultures, and topographies, have successfully overcome the mobility challenges we face today. They have done so by confronting the currently pervasive attitude that change is not possible and heeding expert advice to provide safe, pleasant and efficient roads.
It is time for us to do the same.
A growing number of people acknowledge that something is fundamentally flawed with the current model and that a shift in focus is now overdue. The minister himself admitted so in the debate.
Only a radical rethink of our transport system away from private vehicles will bring down unacceptably high road deaths and will allow the transport system to function efficiently for everyone. What, then, are our politicians waiting for?
Miguel Azzopardi is an activist with Moviment Graffitti.