The recently announced budget has promised a €20 million injection in public transport infrastructure. This is very encouraging. However, it would be even more encouraging to know that this investment is part of a wider and seriously intended strategy to promote more sustainable means of commuting.

This is the spirit within which two important recent documents I have had the privilege of researching on behalf of the Local Councils Association have been developed, one related to Walkability and Accessibility and the second one on Shared Transport.

These are but two out of five documents about sustainable mobility, one of the four pillars on which the Resident First vision is built. Resident First is a nationwide initiative spearheaded by the Local Councils Association that also promotes, among other objectives, sustainable mobility across our country and it has been endorsed by all councils in Malta and Gozo.

That this initiative has managed to find such unanimous support and endorsement from Malta and Gozo’s localities already shows that a certain part of our society wants to start taking mobility seriously.

The problem, however, lies in the fact that, notwithstanding the willingness at a local level, those who could be making the final decisions remain the stumbling block.

My plight comes from a personal certainty and conviction that Malta could be doing things much better than it is doing at the moment but it is not. The right political will to make some very difficult decisions is not there yet, which is a pity. Because sooner or later, these difficult decisions will still need to be made but, by then, so much precious time would have been lost.

And, here, we are not talking about decisions to invest billions of euros to build a mammoth infrastructure such as the recently proposed metro system.

Personally, I am glad that this project has been put off because a project that takes long years to complete (easily 15-20 years) would have never reassured us of a future-proof solution. Simply put, urban dynamics today, including the role of current centres and nodes of activity, will not be the same in 20 years, just like they have not been 20 years ago.

Urban centres shift and what could work now will not necessarily work when a metro line is completed, with the need for it to keep extending reactively, as the experience in many cities shows. In addition, in many areas, we do not have the critical mass (the economies of scale) to justify such infrastructure and investment.

What we are talking about here are decisions that will go a long way to implement effective change.

We can keep repeating that we need “a culture change” that stops prioritising cars but the bottom line is that this needs radical decisions, now.

We could start by freeing the city centres and village cores from extraneous, non-resident cars. However, to do this, we need to nurture another culture – one where we accept that, to become a better society, we need to endure some radical and difficult decisions. Without this ‘culture change’ we will not go far.

It is useless to talk about prioritising walking if we are not prioritising walkers. A case in point is the inadequate placement of zebra crossings, which, instead of prioritising pedestrians by placing zebra crossings at street corners to enable walking flows, as happens in the majority of cities in the world, we place zebra crossings away from corners.

It is useless to talk about prioritising walking if we are not prioritising walkers- Antoine Zammit

We are told by the authorities that this is to safeguard pedestrians from fast-moving vehicles turning around corners. Simply stated, then, we have to accept vehicles in our local streets travelling at over 30km/hr rather than enforcing speed limits to the detriment of people. What’s worse, people who still opt, out of natural convenience, to keep walking straight from one corner to another, risk endangering their lives and even drivers’.

Unfortunately, the critical number of people who question and challenge the status quo is not there, perhaps because local councils – the ones that should be closest to residents and their daily needs and struggles – are not empowered. Even worse, critical decisions are taken without even consulting with them, the most affected by such decisions.

Most local councils lack human and financial resources, time and expertise, which hinders them from bringing meaningful changes in their localities. These limitations could, furthermore, be a prime reason as to why localities are failing to apply for funding in time.

The Resident First initiative is an opportunity for councils to discover the endless opportunities that exist for their localities.

The Walkability and Accessibility document, for instance, explores how pavements can be more walkable and how to redistribute road space to release important pedestrian areas.

We also discuss the need to enrich the walking experience, through the provision of shade and the introduction of green infrastructure and other amenities and suggest that localities should start by designating a walkable core, enhanced through the provision of mixed-uses and supported by well-thought, strategic parking management and an injection of alternative mobility options.

These are technical and well-researched studies but they have been prepared in a way that equally makes them accessible and relatable, such that people may be further encouraged to make a difference.

Antoine Zammit

The desired outcome is that localities, through their residents, may truly learn that better standards exist that enhance liveability and quality of life. They only have to want them enough to demand them.

Antoine Zammit is the founder of architectural and urban design firm Studjurban.