Road users have never had such a tough time. Even if some improvements have been achieved in the way traffic is being managed, navigating the congestion is an increasingly fraught undertaking.
With the number of cars daily on the rise, no traffic management system can ever be effective enough unless clear rules are defined for all road users.
Pressure on the traffic system has been partially reduced through the widening of critical arterial roads and the marginal improvement in public transport.
It is encouraging to note that the number of people using public transport in the first half of this year has increased by 1.5 million.
It is equally positive that investment in upgrading certain arterial roads is progressing at a brisk pace. However, until long-term solutions like an underground mass transport system are adopted by the government, it is essential that road users are educated in the most basic rules.
The government controls driver education. It has opportunities for teaching children, as well as adults, about safer use of the roads. It is also responsible for the enforcement of traffic regulations.
The abuses by all types of road users are glaring. The fact that nearly six in 10 drivers are guilty of at least one traffic contravention in 2017 is sufficient evidence of that. But in reality, we all know the figures of infringements should be even higher if there was proper law enforcement.
Who can deny that too many drivers still get away with using their mobile phones while driving? Can we feel safe when breathalyser tests are so rarely used? Can we feel safe knowing that the car in front of us has a good chance of turning the next corner without using indicator lights, with the driver conscious of the fact he will not be punished? Thousands of drivers persist on double parking, even in dangerous junctions, knowing they will not be penalised.
Why are some of our better roads allowed to double up as racing tracks by some irresponsible motorcyclists?
Lack of enforcement is not the only Achilles’ heel of our traffic management system. Transport Minister Ian Borg is undoubtedly committed to building an image for himself as a doer focused on getting things done.
But this is not the same as saying that he does what is right when implementing traffic management reforms. Public transport will never act as a safety valve for our congested road system simply by subsiding bus fares. The problem with the public transport system continues to be somewhat unreliable though it should also be promoted. The recent introduction of cycling lanes in the newly upgraded Tal-Balal road has shown how lack of consultation when implementing traffic management tactics can cause more chaos and put certain road users at risk. Borg’s gripe that ‘you are damned if you do and damned if you do not’ is hardly a good defence for not listening to the advice of experts.
Insufficient consultation, inadequate education for road users and lack of political will to define and enforce sensible rules to make our roads less chaotic and safer for road users must be addressed at once.
Sadly, we also know that the authorities - for some bizarre reason - remain reluctant to clamp down harshly on the many infringements which give Malta a bad name.