Watch: Parking stays as is, Chris Bonett says, despite bus delay concerns

Transport Minister Chris Bonett has ruled out cutting on-street parking, even though the government’s transport master plan says doing so would help buses bypass traffic congestion.

Speaking to Times of Malta on Thursday, Bonett was asked whether he would consider removing on-street parking during peak hours.

The National Transport Master Plan 2030 pointed out that buses are experiencing most delays on single carriageways with on-street parking.

“Measures facilitating buses to bypass congestion here would necessitate the removal of on-street parking at peak hours,” it suggests.

However, the minister rejected the proposal.

“The master plan said that if you want the bus to travel faster you need to remove parking. That is something I am not ready to do,” he said.

He insisted the decision was not influenced by electoral considerations.

“I am not ready to do it, and not because it is a measure that would increase or decrease votes, but because we are working on a more holistic plan.”

Bonett said the government is developing a rapid mass transport system designed to connect bus services with sea transport.

This, he said, is expected to reduce the number of cars on the road.

He added that any moves to discourage car use would only be introduced once viable alternatives are in place.

“We can’t keep making things more difficult for people. First, we need to explore all avenues to avoid that,” he said.

The master plan also highlights that bus trips in Malta are, on average, more than three times longer than journeys by car.

“We didn’t discover America with this,” he said. “A trip with the bus is always going to take longer. It picks up people along the way; it will always be longer.”

Bonett said the real solution lies in reducing the number of cars on the road and in ensuring that whichever party is in government does not keep using transport reform “as a political ball to keep passing around”.

According to the plan, the average bus journey lasts 44 minutes, compared to 14 minutes by car, with waiting times, transfers and walking to and from bus stops contributing to the difference.

It warns that bus trips could take even longer by 2030 unless action is taken.