Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1492490
AFTER the failure of GoTo Malta, the car sharing com- pany, and the closing down of Nextbike, it is more than ob- vious that micro-mobility in Malta is on the retreat. Look no farther than Cool shut- ting down its services, and the constant vandalism of e-kick scooters because of insufficient parking infrastructure. The obsession with cars is also fuelled by a government which hardly incentivises alter- native means of transport and when it does, it is something half baked, like free buses with- out increasing the fleet, the frequency, or any new routes. It would seem that government just crosses their fingers and hopes for the best. There is no thought-out long-term plan ac- tually put into action. The National Transport Strat- egy and Transport Master Plan sat on a shelf, gathering dust, and now updated versions are in the works to make it seem like something is actually being done. Such documents are only useful when they justify large infrastructure projects, rather than difficult decisions. Gov- ernment thus seems to leave the big picture to chance and the whims of Fate. One chance, which was missed due to greed, was the use of taxis on New Year's Eve, where prices skyrocketed due to a high demand but some- how no buses were offered as an alternative. There was an event organised by the Minis- ter for Tourism which drove about 50,000 people to the cap- ital city, and thereafter people were left to find their own way back home after a night of cele- brating and drinking. If one preaches (at the last minute) to people that one should not drink and drive, one must offer transport solu- tions, or else you are just send- ing mixed messages. Is it so difficult to have a taxi with a taximeter, like many other countries? How slowly are we dragging this country into the future? Are we keeping it in the tight grip of racketeers? Austria changed the challeng- ing situation brought about by COVID-19 into an opportuni- ty. In 2020, Austrian Airlines was struggling to make ends meet like many other airlines due to the pandemic. So, the Austrian government decided to pump 600 million euros in a government aid package to cut its domestic emissions by 50%, by adding 31 direct train servic- es a day between Vienna Inter- national Airport and Salzburg's central station to replace inter- nal flights. It worked! In Malta, we spent €700 million on roads which flood every time it rains, and which have done nothing to help with traffic congestion. They instead funnel freshwa- ter into the sea. The new roads have only had cars in mind, with little to no consideration to cyclists or pedestrians. In Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo decided to make the capital a fifteen-minute city, where the essential residents' needs are easily within reach by bike or on foot. Here Minister Miri- am Dalli is trying to find a way to transport our old people to the nearest BCRS machine to prompt people to recycle their plastic bottles. Germany has made trains cost €9 a month when travelling intercity to help people during the summer with the rising cost of fuel. In Malta, the government's Green Travel Plan for companies only imagined that people use pri- vate minibuses for commuting workers. Nothing else. It was a success, though it proved expensive. It lasted for three months, but it showed that people are less addicted to their cars as long as they get to where they need to be on time with an efficient and reliable service. Here in Malta we have yet to see the value for money arising from "free buses" after three months in action, given how much it is costing the tax- payer. For how long will this free service be economically vi- able? I am all for it, mind you, but is there a long-term plan to keep it going, or to improve the bus service? One excellent service is the On Demand service offered by Malta Public Transport, though it is limited to certain regions. Using the app, one can order a shuttle to a nearby bus station, and at an afforda- ble rate. With Cool on its way out, perhaps this sort of service should be the future. However, the current On Demand ser- vice is little known and there- fore will need a push to show it is viable on a larger scale. 6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 FEBRUARY 2023 OPINION Sandra Gauci is deputy chair of ADPD The upside-down of Maltese transport policy Sandra Gauci In Malta, we spent €700 million on roads which flood every time it rains, and which have done nothing to help with traffic congestion. They instead funnel freshwater into the sea