Malta is drowning in a sea of metal

Think there’s no tide in the Med? Oh yes there is! And it’s made of metal.

Metal rivers move sluggishly on the roads. Metal parked, double-parked and, sometimes, triple-parked wherever there is space. Metal poisoning, causing increasing accidents, stress, anxiety (“will I find a parking space?”).

Metal sucking ever-larger dollops of public funding for endless road “improvements”. Where will it all end? Metal is mental and we are drowning.

The trouble is we are in love with the stuff. It is a source of vanity, pride (“oh yes, we just bought a new Audi XYZ”) and a false sense of utility (“we just had to buy Mikela a Mini, since she is going to university”). And we can’t bear to part with any of it… just keep adding to the stock. How many cars does the average household now own? In Gozo it is rumoured there are 10 per cent more vehicles than people, of all ages – and it must be worse on the main island.

Malta is drowning in a sea of metal. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Malta, I am led to believe, is adding over 40 new car registrations a day, or 14,600+ per annum. Let’s just pause on these statistics, just for a moment. That is new registrations, not replacements. So, the metal tide is allowed to rise inexorably to overwhelm us.

It is time for the government to take action. It knows this but it is either too craven, or too complacent, or both, to do anything about it. The Opposition, such as it is, is fearful of losing votes if it proposes anything remotely radical.

Would the two parties ever come together for the public good? Maybe it’s time they damn well did. We are facing a crisis, nothing less.

The government fiddles while Malta drowns.

It is time to stop all new registrations completely. No exceptions. Yes, new cars can continue to enter the country but for them actually to get on the road they have to use an existing number plate and the old vehicle either gets passed down the line, to replace an even older vehicle, or it gets scrapped. If a newcomer comes to live here they either have to buy a local vehicle… or use Bolt, or get the bus!

I can foresee a thriving market in previously-owned number plates be­ing recycled. After all, they could be worth more than the vehicle that was carrying them!

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? And it is. All it needs is for people to wake up to the danger we are all facing. The tide is rising and we are drowning.

David Carrington – Sannat

Saving on energy

The world is experiencing a massive rise in fuel costs and the cost is expected to go even higher.

Locally, the government is subsidising energy costs, of course using our own money.

The government has issued some guidelines, rather belatedly in my opinion, to be followed in government offices: Air conditioners to be set no lower than 24ºC and lighting on monuments to be switched off at night. All good. But how is it that it has never even been suggested that we, the public, economise on energy use?

Examples abound: Houses use a lot of energy, some of it wastefully. So why doesn’t Enemalta give tips on how to use less energy? A prime-time TV slot would work wonders.

For example, the ambient temperatures in all offices and in private houses should not be lower than 26ºC, and come winter, ACs should be switched off completely or set no higher than 20ºC. Shop fronts need not be lit all night; buses should not run around empty; street lights must be replaced by more efficient ones and some even switched off.

As a country, we are paying for not reaching our renewable energy targets. Shouldn’t this money be used to incentivise more solar panels and fuel-efficient cars?

In addition, although it hurts, a small rise in the fuel price should be borne by the public.

Anthony Azzopardi – San Ġwann