No published reports are available to understand the loss of productivity caused by traffic congestion, which is becoming more disruptive every year. It now usually takes three times more time to get from point A to point B than a few years ago.
Road users are not just drivers of vehicles but also ordinary people who have to navigate the dangerous pavements pushing pushchairs or using wheelchairs or walk on promenades adjacent to roads being used as racing tracks by petrolheads.
Long-term solutions will take at least a decade to be agreed on and implemented. Some current plans may prove economically inviable and will be dropped when the enthusiasm for grandiose mass transportation proves to be no more than wishful thinking. Still, so much can be done in the short term to provide some stress relief to so many suffering road users.
The way some of our roads are designed needs to be re-engineered. Some roundabouts in busy junctions are far too large. They need to be made smaller to allow more room to manoeuvre for cars nearing the roundabouts. In busy intersections, roundabouts may need to be replaced with traffic lights to ensure that traffic flows more fluently, as sticking to the traffic code on the right of way may lead to vehicles flowing from one direction, remaining stuck for a long time.
Another nuisance that defies all common-sense principles is placing road signs too low and in the line of vision of drivers approaching them. These signs often dangerously obstruct the view of drivers trying to navigate busy junctions.
Most drivers have little inclination to stick to sensible driving regulations. The use of mobile phones while driving is still widespread and there seems to be little action taken by law enforcement officials to book offenders.
The media often report that a serious road accident happened ‘because the driver lost control of the vehicle for some reason’. It does not take a linguistic
expert to understand that this euphemism is often used to obscure the fact that such drivers were either using their phones or were under the influence of alcohol or other substances when involved in an accident.
Bicycle users have a vociferous lobby as they understandably complain that driving their bikes has become exceedingly dangerous. But mothers pushing pushchairs on our substandard pavements and persons who use wheelchairs find it much more difficult to move on pavements. Uneven surfaces, steep ramps, dogs’ poop and unpruned shrubs and trees regularly obstruct the movement of pedestrians. Why can’t local councils start to address this problem causing so much distress to road users in every town and city?
The use of mobile phones while driving is still widespread and there seems to be little action taken by law enforcement officials to book offenders
The most arrogant abuse of our roads is committed by some petrolheads with a misplaced sense of entitlement. They argue that they have a right to use our roads to practise their hobby by stress-testing their high-powered motorcycles or cars.
Abusive driving on the Coast Road continues practically every day despite the Commissioner of Police, the Naxxar local council and Transport Malta knowing about this. Some of the very few speed cameras installed on the road are placed in the wrong locations. They are certainly not curbing this abuse sufficiently.
Employers have generally become more tolerant about their employees occasionally turning up late for work because they are caught in heavy traffic. Still, the effect of traffic congestion on productivity needs to be measured to understand the urgency of taking remedial action.
The situation is even worse for vulnerable older adults trying to reach a medical centre for critically necessary tests. They understandably feel frustrated and anxious when they miss an appointment because they get caught up in traffic. Not everyone can afford a taxi or rely on relatives to get them where they need to be.
Public transport has improved over the years. But it is still not reliable. This is partly because of road congestion issues, which make forecast arrival times at bus stops a rough guesstimate. Electronic boards can be installed at all bus stops, so waiting passengers can be informed in real-time when the next bus will be able to pick them up.
Road users are primarily ordinary people who want to get on with their lives without the unnecessary stress that prevents them from functioning normally. Most suffer in silence as traffic congestion problems seem to have become the accepted normality.
Still, all stakeholders owe it to road users to find practical short-term solutions to relieve us from avoidable stress.