Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1339768
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 FEBRUARY 2021 INTERVIEW Alternative transport is not just desirable, but necessary This week, you were reported as saying that 'the more you widen roads, the more you in- duce demand'. Yet our national approach to the traffic problem seems to be geared in the op- posite direction. Projects like the Central Link – and now the Msida flyover – seem intent on accommodating the growing number of cars as much as pos- sible. At this rate, how long do you think it will take to reach a 'point of no return'? It is very difficult to predict too far into the future. But what I can say – based on what I see locally, and also abroad – is that we've already reached a stage where we cannot afford to widen roads any further. Recent statistics show that there are already over 400,000 registered cars, in a population of half a million. Compared to oth- er countries, on a pro-rata basis, that works out nearly double the average overseas. But in other countries – unlike here - there are alternative modes of transport. So if we do not shift our strate- gy – urgently, in my opinion – to have a plan: so that, at least, in 10 years' time there will be alterna- tive modes of transport in place… unless we do that, I feel we will be spiralling aimlessly towards an untenable situation. In a sense, the situation is already unsustainable as it is. Because apart from increasing the demand for vehicular transport, road-wid- ening projects also simply shift the problem further down the road. You end up travelling faster for a short stretch… only to end up caught in a bigger traffic jam later on. This is why we have to be careful here. I have no doubt that it is not the authorities' intention to arrive at that situation; but if we don't pre-empt it today, there will be no alternative tomorrow. This is, in fact, what happened in the UK in the 1960s. Take Birmingham, Manchester, parts of London… and other parts of Europe, such as Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, etc. Fifty years ago, those places likewise invested in road-widening, fly-overs and so on… but today – because they diverted course, and invested in alternative modes of transport in- cluding mass transit systems over the past five decades – they are reversing that policy. They are in fact nowadays removing the fly- overs that were built in the 1970s and 1980s. But this was only made possible, thanks to the introduction of al- ternative modes of transport. It is, in fact, a fundamental principle of urban planning… Before turning to your own pro- posal for a metro system: there are other 'modes of transport' to consider, including simple activities such as walking and cycling. Yet when it comes to planning new roads – not just today: this is equally true for past projects such as the Birkirkara Bypass, the Region- al Road, etc. – we are often left without pavements to walk on, or lanes for cyclists. Wouldn't these features also help to pro- vide an alternative to vehicular transport? It's an important point you're raising. Because by their very na- ture, these roads – especially the four-lane carriageways – create a psychological barrier to pedes- trians, and even cyclists. Even if there is a dedicated bicycle lane, it is difficult to feel comfortable cy- cling alongside heavy traffic. This is another reason why a mass transit system has become necessary: once you create an al- ternative, and significantly reduce the volume of traffic, you can then revisit the existing road system… for instance, create a two-lane sys- tem instead, while giving the rest up for cyclists and pedestrians. This would enable us to reclaim open spaces, in the form of pedes- trianization. There are also other angles to the same issue. Apart from the loss of open space – and, even more irre- placeably, agricultural land – fly- overs also create physical barrier between different parts of towns and villages. These projects are literally carving up the social fab- ric of our towns. Besides: sooner or later, you will have to leave the network of arterial roads to reach your desti- nation. What are we going to do next? Are we going to cut through towns and villages? Build more roads through Zebbug, or the Qormi centre? If so, that would undermine the social cohesion of those communities. But there is another important aspect of a system such as the one I am proposing. A metro, or mass-transit in general, is not a standalone form of transport. It is, by its nature, 'multi-modal'. The intention is not to replace buses, or other modes; on the contrary, a metro is complementary to other transport systems… including, for instance, cycling; ferries; pedestri- an bridges, etc. One simple analogy is that of a tree: the metro forms the 'trunk' of the system… but there are also the 'branches': shuttle buses, linking the metro stations to other towns and villages that are not along the Architect Konrad Xuereb, of KonceptX Ltd, argues that a shift towards mass transit systems is just as inevitable as the drive towards renewable energy, caused by climate change PHOTO: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTATODAY Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt