Tackling transport problems

I missed reading Bishop Nikol Cauchi's contribution on transport, but I have read Daniela Borg Mizzi's.

The Bishop is accused of giving a religious tinge to the subject, and Ms Borg Mizzi made it sound as though Malta's road network and all ancillary matters were perfect. She insinuated that the bishop should stick to religion, for he was no traffic expert.

Well, just in case she passes the same accusation my way, let me start by telling her that I have studied and taken an active interest in driving and road behaviour for the last 40 odd years.

I have written numerous articles on the matter, been involved in many radio and television discussions, and have attended numerous courses and lectures in UK on vehicle behaviour. I have also been asked for my expert opinion on the subject by the local courts on numerous occasions, so I do know just a little bit on the subject of roads, road safety, and vehicle behaviour.

Ms Borg Mizzi does not agree with the bishop that 'the deplorable state of road surfaces is another common cause of traffic accidents'. I disagree. Our roads, and absolutely everything about them, are pathetic, and, yes, our lousy roads are the cause of a large number of accidents. And, yes, your ministry is responsible.

The grip level of our roads is about on a par with that of an ice-skating ring, as I almost found out to my own detriment on returning from a week's motorcycling holiday in Sicily recently.

After a week of "laying the bike down" on the corners, and enjoying every minute of it in perfect safety, my return trip home from Grand Harbour to Salina on our gripless roads was a nightmare.

It took quite a while to readjust to the fact that we have to keep the motorcycle upright at all times on our lousy roads for fear of sliding off.

How many times do we read that a driver "lost control". Why should a driver lose control at such pathetically slow speeds as we are restricted to on our newly-narrowed roads? Very simply because our roads are badly designed, have absolutely nil grip and are all cambered badly.

Ms Borg Mizzi does not seem too keen on driver education either, judging by her last paragraph. While I would be the first to put driver education at the top of my priority list - and a more stringent driving test is a must - I am afraid that no matter how good a driver you are, on these roads you just do not have a hope in hell!

She boasts that the government has spent some Lm30 million in road construction. I beg to differ. Half of that has been spent on narrowing roads with gaudy pavements to the detriment of drivers. This causes road rage, and it is this that is one of the biggest causes of accidents.

She states that most accidents are caused by young drivers. I agree. But let us be fair. Putting young and inexperienced drivers on our unsafe roads is like putting a one-year old baby in a cot without high sides, and expecting it not to fall.

Incidentally, I am no youngster. I should soon be getting my first pension, so I am not defending our young drivers because I am one of them, but simply because, like us, they are getting a very raw deal from the ministry. Thank you very much.

But just talking and writing about it does not prove anything. It is figures that are the ultimate proof. Transport Minister Censu Galea often boasts that his traffic calming measures, which include this ludicrous road narrowing mania, have reduced the number of accidents. Rubbish. statistics state otherwise. A few days ago, The Times announced that the most recent statistics for road accidents showed a considerable increase in road accidents, and an even bigger increase in road deaths. So how are they going to get out of this one?

Allow me to make one other comparison. A young family, just husband, wife and one child, live perfectly comfortably in a small flat. As they have more children they require a bigger flat, or house. Naturally. So how does our ministry of transport justify reducing our road space by narrowing our roads, when the number of cars is growing daily at such an alarming rate. It just does not make sense.

Somehow, I have a feeling they are doing it all wrong. And unfortunately statistics are proving me right.