Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1000343
17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 JULY 2018 INTERVIEW idea was to facilitate some other project, or out of environmental concerns, I'd understand. But to simply extend pavements with- out any proper planning, or to build roundabouts that can easily accommodate an entire football pitch... that's something else. You're referring to works carried out in the early 1990s, in conjunction with a German consultancy firm. It was a long time ago. Even so, however, the emphasis was (and still is) on roads. It is as though the primary concern of all governments is to encourage and facilitate car-ownership and use as much as possible... The reality is that there isn't a single solution to such a complex challenge. To address bottle- necks, sometimes you might have to widen the road... sometimes, to reduce certain structures in the road. But it's not a solution to all traffic-related problems. It is a short-term solution; there is still the medium- and long-term approach. Every country that as- pires to have efficient mobility of persons – because people need to move: to get to work, to relax and enjoy their free time, to meet family and friends etc. – needs an efficient public transport sys- tem. Bear in mind that when we started out, the statistics were frightening. In 2011/2, when bus service was switched to an exter- nal operator under the National- ist administration, the number of people making use of the service [calculated on a trips-per-year basis] was 23 million. In 2017, we closed the year with 50 million passengers... more than double. I think the issue facing public transport today – because, while things have improved a lot, we're not quite there yet – is the 'posi- tive' problem, so to speak, that we are now at saturation point. We now need to address the challenge of capacity. Our fleet of 400 buses... can it cope with the 50 million passengers we have today? We've taken initiatives in that regard; today, those aged 16-20 are given a whole year's worth of free public transport. But then... does giving away a free service automatically mean that the bus is going to arrive on time? That it will take you where you want to go? Does it mean that the experience of using the service is a positive one? Will those people continue using public transport? These are also issues we need to address. Before the last election, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi had announced a study into the viability of an underground/ monorail train service. What were the results of that study? Is your government still looking into alternative systems of mass-transit? I can confirm that the study is at an advanced stage. Transport Malta had engaged AREP – a London-based public transport consultancy firm that needs no introduction – and I hope that in the near future we will be able to sit down with AREP, review the situation, and take a decision on the basis of those studies... Meanwhile, there seems to be a certain reluctance to ever seriously consider alternatives to road-based systems. There are also powerful industry interests involved, that are widely known to exert influence on political parties: car importers, building contractors, etc. Is there resistance to alternative public transport from the current players? I don't think there is any par- ticular resistance, no. I think it has more to do with the fact that they [underground railway sys- tems] cost a lot more than most people think. You have to take the budgetary aspects into con- sideration; as well as how certain sectors of the economy would be affected. Also, we are talking about projects which will yield dividends in 20, 30 years' time. I think those, possibly, are the rea- sons why previous governments may have been reluctant ... But that suggests a political mo- tive: political parties think in five- year terms, not 20 or 30 years... I was talking about the past, however. In the present, there is no resistance or reluctance. The studies are under way. I've occu- pied this ministry for a year, and I am confident that AREP is do- ing a good job... Transport Malta is doing a good job... we need to wait for the results of the studies, and take it from there... Are there any time-frames? No, no specific time-frames. Another 'project' that was mentioned involved an eventual transition from the internal combustion engine, to vehicles running on renewable energy. Yet while your government is committed to this policy, we are seeing the PA issuing more permits for new petrol stations: often in ODZ areas. Isn't there a contradiction here? Let's state facts as they stand: Malta, along with Europe and the rest of world, is working towards establishing a date – in some countries, this has al- ready been established – after which it will no longer be per- mitted to import vehicles run- ning on petrol or diesel. In the meantime, however, those cars that are already here, still need petrol or diesel. We are already incentivising car-owners to turn to greener technologies... but I think the sentiment you expressed in that question is a general sentiment, which the government has understood. So much so, that this year, my government – both the En- vironment Ministry, which drafted the first amendments, as well as myself as Transport Minister – has given the PA di- rections to amend the existing fuel stations policy, to ensure they are more sustainable... so that they genuinely provide a service to the country, and not just become a game of land- speculation. But just as we are discussing a cut-off date for fuel-consuming cars... shouldn't there also be a cut-off date for fuel stations? And what about the 380,000 ve- hicles already on the road... mine, yours, the ones belonging to your readers...? Petrol stations already exist; I'm talking about new ones, especially those which have a huge impact on the environment: for instance, two enormous petrol stations within 50 metres of each other, on the same road.... Those are the cases that need to be looked into. And they are be- ing looked into: the Planning Ex- ecutive Council is in the process of drawing up a new policy on petrol stations. Once the policy reaches the desired aims, I will endorse it. One last question concerning the political situation in general. Joseph Muscat has repeatedly indicated that he plans to step down as Prime Minister in the near future – though exactly when remains unclear. This would create a leadership vacuum for the Labour Party... by any chance, do you intend to try and fill it yourself? [Laughing] 'By any chance' is not a question... It's a hypothetical question, but a valid one nonetheless. Do you have future leadership aspirations? First of all, it is true the Prime Minister made certain state- ments along the lines of 'when the right time comes'... but he didn't specify when. As for my- self, I hope that the people's ap- preciation of this government's performance – and the Prime Minister's work in particular – will result in him serving this country for many more years to come.