New measures to reduce traffic congestion on the road will be introduced in the coming weeks, Transport Minister Chris Bonett has pledged. 

Bonett made one specific promise - to introduce new bus routes to industrial areas across the country - and did not specify which other measures would be introduced.  

The Transport Ministry has been working on around 20 short and medium-term proposals to ease traffic pressures for the past months. Bonett had given a sneak peek of them at a press conference in November, then discussed them with social partners before opening them up to public consultation.

The consultation period ended in December.

In a Times of Malta interview last September, Bonett vowed to introduce the first changes by the end of March 2025. 

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, he said that target deadline was still on track.

“In the coming weeks, [some of] these proposals will become measures,” Bonett said.

One of the plans was to introduce a park-and-ride system – which has been operating in Valletta for several years – in Qormi, Birkirkara, Paola, Sliema, and St Julian’s.

Another proposal also mentioned implementing incentives to encourage people to give up their driving licenses or to discourage young people from getting their licenses. It is not yet clear what these incentives will be.

Out of these measures, Bonett said that in the next few days, he will announce new bus routes that go to industrial estates.

These proposals are not necessarily new, as they have been mentioned by former transport ministers as well as the Nationalist Party.

Road Safety bureau still on the cards 

Bonett said details about a road safety bureau are still being finalised. This bureau, first announced years ago as an investigative organ tasked with drawing lessons from serious traffic crashes, was supposed to be up and running by the end of 2023.

This year, there have already been three road fatalities.

Bonett has previously said that he is very keen to set up the agency but that it is being held up by issues outside his control.  

The current judicial system is proving to be a stumbling block. Currently, serious traffic accidents are investigated by magistrates and the police, and such investigations are kept secret and not published.

On Wednesday, the minister again reiterated that the bureau would be established.

“I gave my word, and I’m going to keep to my word,” Bonett said.

Bonett said that they still need to determine the logistical details of who will have access to the investigation, ensuring that the rights of the victims are respected.