Traffic is a daily challenge for many in Malta, and students at the University of Malta are no exception. Whether they drive, take public transport or rely on lifts, commuting to campus is often a source of great frustration.

During Freshers’ Week, Times of Malta spoke to several students about whether they were managing to cope with the island’s traffic problem.

Amy Bartolo, a law student, did not mince her words, calling local traffic “a disaster”.

Her frustration is shared by many students who struggle to get to campus on time or even find a place to park.

One major issue for students who drive is parking, as noted by 22-year-old Natalia Nwoko, a representative of Betapsi, the Psychology Students Organisation. She highlighted the parking scarcity at the university, saying, “I drive, unfortunately.

"I almost had a mental breakdown in my car because there was not a single place to park. I have been going round and round in a circle, but the same cars that are coming in are the same ones coming out because there is nowhere to park.”

The parking problem has become so pervasive that this year during Freshers’ Week, KPMG ‒ one of the big four accountancy firms ‒ offered a contest with the grand prize of a parking spot for the entire academic year.

Despite the significant buzz around the prize, KPMG did not respond to Times of Malta’s request for further details.

Many students, finding parking an impossible task, have turned – not by choice ‒ to public transport. Maia Borg, a psychology student, summed up the frustrations many have with the bus system, calling it “a huge hassle”.

She explained: “Sometimes the bus doesn’t show up. I need to catch two buses. There is traffic. It’s a hassle. A huge hassle”.

Matthias Zahra, a 21-year-old student studying European and contemporary Mediterranean studies, expressed similar frustration. Despite living relatively close to the university, in Lija, Zahra has to leave his home extraordinarily early to make it to his 8am lectures.

“Let’s say I have a lecture at 8. I need to be here by 6.30, maybe 7 latest, to avoid traffic on the way. Now we aren’t talking far away. Lija is 15 minutes away, max.”

Students often turn to lifts from family or friends to ease the burden of the unreliable bus service, but this solution leaves them dependent on others for their daily commute.

A particular group of students who face a unique commute challenge is the Gozitan population. The logistics of getting to the University of Malta from Gozo can be daunting, with students needing to factor in ferry times and traffic on land. 

Joseph Mario Grech, a 20-year-old master’s student in accountancy and former member of the GUG (Gozitan University Group), shared his experience: “With the fast ferry, it generally takes me between an hour to an hour-and-a-half to get to university from Gozo. But when we have bad weather, it takes between three hours and four hours depending on the traffic,” said Grech.

Many Gozitan students who live nearby walk to university, avoiding the daily traffic issues altogether.

Other students are trying alternative modes of transport. Marcus Zarb Grech, a representative of the Malta University Sports Association, is one of the few who cycles to campus when possible. However, roadworks on his usual route have temporarily halted this eco-friendly commute.

When asked if he would cycle on the road instead, he admitted it would be “a little too sketchy”.