Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1041944
30 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 OCTOBER 2018 A step towards intermodality James Gabaretta James Gabaretta is chairperson of AD Zghazagh. He commutes by bicycle frequently JOBSPLUS Permit Number 574/2018 The Malta Arbitration Centre is seeking to employ a full-time OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR The selected candidate, who must be self- motivated, able to multi-task, work under minimum supervision and within defined frame-works and set time-frames, must be in possession of either 6 Ordinary Level Passes [min. Grade 5 or C] and 3 Advanced or Intermediate Level Passes [min. Grade D], one of which must be in either Maltese or English plus 3 years proven relevant work experience or in possession of a qualification recognized at MQF Level 5 or better in Office Managment, Public Administration or Business Administration or a recognized appropriate comparable qualification plus 1 year proven relevant work experience; and in possession of E.C.D.L. Excellent data entry and typing skills, excellent written and oral communication skills in both Maltese and English and high organizational and interpersonal skills are considered as pre-requisites for the post. Experience in a legal office environment is considered as an asset. Interested persons are kindly requested to send a detailed CV accompanied by a covering letter by not later than the 29 th October 2018 quoting reference OA1/2018 by electronic mail on malta.arbitration@mac.com.mt or by mail to: The Registrar, Malta Arbitration Centre, 33, Palazzo Laparelli, South Street, Valletta VLT 1100 All applications will be acknowledged and will be treated in the strictest confidence. PEOPLE need to move from one place to another. Most people like cars. Cars offer this solution. We should build bigger roads for more cars, they declare. Whether you like it or not this is the line of thought most of our decision makers follow. Obviously, building more roads and owning more cars is a sign of a strong developed economy, right? Well, not as much as you may think! In this article I will look at how the present situation is affecting the qual- ity of life of most of us. Malta's physical size is that of a small town in a European Country; maybe a fraction of the size of a typical city. In most European countries, car ownership is decreasing and people are shifting to other modes of transport. Why is this happening and what are we doing differently? Cars have long been recognised as the single biggest source of urban air pollution in Europe, especially in small spaces such as residential roads. Air pollution is also one the biggest threats to human health mostly affecting our lungs and hearts. Moreo- ver, car use encourages a passive lifestyle whereby we are encouraged to use our cars for most of our errands and behave inef- ficiently. Surely, cars offer several benefits such as weather isolation; comfort and the possibility to travel with kids and a comfort- able option for less mobile persons. However, all around the world an alternative is being sought; one which looks away from car use and tar- gets mobility directly. Going back to the first statement of this article, "people need to move from one place to another", one can think of alternatives to make this happen. The term intermo- dality encapsulates all the alternatives to non-essential private car use. The first example that comes to mind is the "Park and Ride" scheme intro- duced in three locations in Malta a few years ago. The one that seems to work best is Floriana Park and Ride which has essentially taken away much traffic and parking issues from Valletta and allows people to still use their car but not to their final destination. In fact the University of Malta's Student Council (KSU) has adopted a similar scheme and is now offer- ing a park and ride scheme to university students who want to use their car but avoid the parking chaos that exists on campus. The scheme is operated by tallinja and allows students to park at the Pembroke Park and Ride and ride all the way to University with a Direct Bus. I believe that these ideas are already a step in the right direction and that more such initiatives should be considered. Intermodality plays a key role in addressing the need for people's mobility. To fully exploit the benefits of intermodality, we need to normalise other modes of transport, particularly two- wheeled solutions such as bicycles (including electric bikes) and motorcycles (and their electric cousins). These will largely free up vast amounts of space, cut- ting down on the need to expand the road-footprints as the current modus op- erandi. Catering for more cars is simply not a solution to the current traffic situa- tion. We need to shift our diets and change our life- styles. This is only possible through a combined effort of discouraging car use and encouraging other modes of transport. Surely, these measures will take a while to become palatable to the public. The Maltese government also plays a key role in provid- ing valuable incentives to adopt changes which with- out such incentives might be considered unfeasible. Such incentives include coupling a parking fee with free public transport. Others include a cycle-to- work scheme whereby the employee is rewarded with a financial incentive to leave their car at home and facilities are provided to make commuting by bicycle easier. Road safety and proper cycling infrastruc- ture is essential. Our vision is quite simple – we want to see alternative modes of transport for a healthier transport mix. Re- lying on cars is clearly not a sustainable choice, and has long-term consequences. However, such a change requires real policy change which targets masses of people. It's useless giving financial incentives to buy a new bicycle when the existing infrastructure is becoming worse for cycling. We need to make our roads safe for all. Government should start implementing its own Transport Master Plan. We will continue to work on such changes at EU and national level, on a local level we will con- tinue working to make our localities more people and bicycle friendly. We want to make our roads safe and accessible to all. We want to reclaim our roads. We believe that this will help alleviate many of the issues surrounding traffic, our health and wellbeing.