The island’s chaotic traffic management system is arguably the worst irritant affecting people’s well-being today.
While different factors contribute to this problem, the mismanagement of the roadworks projects is one of the more avoidable severe weaknesses.
Transport Malta (TM) is finally reacting to the protests of road users who can no longer tolerate the negligence of the authorities responsible for mitigating the stress of commuting on our congested roads.
TM has stated it will blacklist road contractors who produce low-quality works or cause delays. A new TM unit is being set up with a new head “to put all roadworks permit offices under one roof”.
The new initiatives are essential good project management practices that should have been in place for the past few years when the government embarked on several major roadworks projects. Still, one hopes that raising professional standards from mediocrity levels is better than fatally accepting that roadworks projects will remain mismanaged forever.
The rock base of any contract must include well-defined deliverables within strict timeframes.
Hopefully, the setting up of a committee ‘to determine if a contractor is blacklisted’ will not be another layer of bureaucracy
Taxpayers’ interests must be defended by TM when committing themselves to payments by including penalty clauses that are enforceable and reflect the gravity of failures to deliver on time, within budget and according to the quality standards agreed upon.
Naming and shaming contractors who fail to deliver will never be enough to ensure that projects are completed successfully.
Neither is blacklisting defaulting contractors enough.
Hopefully, the setting up of a committee “to determine if a contractor is blacklisted” will not be another layer of bureaucracy or a mere public relations ploy to appease frustrated citizens.
While the fragmentation of the authorisation process of roadworks projects are a real obstacle to effective management, other weaknesses must be addressed.
So far, the government has failed to justify why there are so many concurrent roadworks projects often in the same locality.
One reason for this bad planning is that many projects must be started and finished within a strict timeframe to qualify for EU funding. This is yet another example of managing by crisis.
While adopting good project management practices is a good start, other issues must be urgently addressed. The initial ill-advised decision to close Valley Road for a whole week to celebrate the Birkirkara feast shows how the various authorities responsible for keeping traffic flowing on our congested road network can be so shortsighted when deciding the priorities for the good of the community.
While every initiative to ease the pressures on our traffic management system is welcome, the authorities must prepare a comprehensive strategy for how to improve the traffic management system.
The increasing number of cars on our roads caused by a fast-increasing population, an ineffective public transport system, a multitude of motorcycles delivering food, an excessive number of private taxis, poor project management of roadworks and weak enforcement of traffic regulations are all contributing to chaos on our roads.
As the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. TM, the Public Works Department, Infrastructure Malta and the police must move from making promises of change to ease the increasing pressures commuters have to endure daily to delivering the service that ordinary citizens, who finance our road infrastructure, have a right to expect.