The government should look to reduce cars on the road, as an issue of inconvenience was now morphing into tragedy, the Nationalist Party said on Friday.

So far, in 2022, 24 people have died on roads, and over 1,000 have been injured, PN transport spokesperson Adrian Delia told a news conference.

Statistics show that the crisis is getting worse every day, but meanwhile, transport minister Aaron Farrugia refuses to believe that the problem exists, the former PN leader said.

Delia said a scandal in which senior Transport Malta officials gave driving licences to drivers also contributed to road danger since incapable drivers are taking to the road.

More traffic is fuelling road rage and leading to accidents, Delia said.

Fifty-six new cars are added to Maltese roads every day and the transport minister does not believe this to be a bad thing, Delia said.

A budget without a plan

Delia criticised the government’s transport budget, saying it abandoned any long-term vision and plans for a mass transit system seem to have been ditched.

Without a long-term plan, Malta will soon face total gridlock, Delia said.

A pledge by the transport minister to invest €35 million in a national cycle network was not mentioned in the budget. 

Malta needs an alternative transport strategy but it needs to be implemented with a plan, Delia said.

The PN is in favour of e-scooters but they cannot be an obstacle to pedestrians, he said.

PN infrastructure spokesperson Ryan Callus said the party supports a proposal to divert traffic in parts of Mrieħel underground and make the existing street level a public garden for Qormi residents and the Mrieħel business community.

Two-thirds of road fatalities have been pedestrians, Callus said. Traffic is leading to stressed and frustrated drivers who in turn are less attentive and patient, he said.

Air pollution, not only coming from exhaust fumes but also from road and tyre dust is seriously affecting the population’s physical health, he said quoting the front page of Friday's issue of Times of Malta.

“Some 800 people died of COVID in Malta throughout the pandemic. In 2019, a report showed that 575 people die every year due to respiratory illnesses,” he said.