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14 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2024 FOR SALE QUAD BIKE BOMBARDIER 650CC (2006). My black and yellow beautiful almost immaculate, always serviced quad is, with a heavy heart for sale. She is licensed till October 2024 and road ready. It's now time for someone else to enjoy. Annual road is €259. Asking price is €4500. Call or WhatsApp on 79990807. Malta's current traffic woes predicted A deep-rooted car-oriented transport system, low car-occu- pancy rates and poor discipline by road users. These are some of the weak- nesses noted in a master plan commissioned by Transport Malta almost a decade ago with accurate predictions of what Maltese roads can look like in 2025 if action is not taken. The Malta Transport Master Plan 2025 was released in 2016, back when Joe Mizzi headed the transport ministry and Mal- ta's economic boom was taking off. In fact, the master plan list- ed Malta's economic growth as a threat that could lead to more disposable income, resulting in increased car ownership... and traffic. The master plan surveyed the transportation trends in 2016, and the findings show that the trends and behaviours remain unchanged in 2024. The 444-page document pin- pointed Malta's transport weak- nesses in 2016: A lack of availa- ble space for alternative modes of transport, low car occupancy rates, poor compliance with traf- fic rules and a road network de- signed for vehicular traffic. All these observations remain true to this day. The master plan also spoke about a series of threats such as increased car ownership, nega- tive impacts on air quality and noise pollution, and negative effects on the quality of life for urban dwellers if a parking man- agement strategy is not imple- mented. Parts of the master plan's pre- dictions are eerily accurate, as some of them seem to have be- come a daily reality for many commuters. For instance, the document quoted a 2010 NSO study which revealed that at the time, "74% of all internal trips are undertak- en using private passenger cars." When the NSO conducted a sim- ilar study in 2021, it showed that private vehicles are used for 84% of trips. When it comes to parking, the master plan stated that the "management of the supply of parking places for residents is inadequate," as demand for on- street parking was noted as a contributor to narrower roads. The document is clear in stating the various reasons contributing to parking-related problems. Among others, it lists the lack of a comprehensive parking strate- gy as well as unrestricted and free parking which is widely available in all localities. This, the docu- ment says, leads to insufficient pedestrian space and reduces the opportunity to provide in- frastructure suited to alternate modes of transport. Missed opportunities and short- sighted policy The master plan delves into the country's road-based public transport system, which at the time was relatively fresh from a modernisation attempt and the Arriva debacle. Similarly, some of the main weaknesses noted in 2016 seem to have been ignored, as many of them remain unaddressed. Nota- bly, the lack of alternative forms of public transport is still one of Malta's traffic woes, as despite the fact that one can use the bus for free, many are still opting to use their cars. Despite commissioning a study and opening a flashy website ded- icated to a possible metro system, government seems to have for- gotten its €6.2 billion pre-elec- tion proposal. In fact, the threats predicted by the master plan have also come true. The master plan predicted that the increase of traffic con- gestion would lead to reduced reliability and punctuality of bus services. A 2021 NSO National House- hold Travel Survey notes that the main concerns on using the bus MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt