Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1517531
15 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2024 predicted in 2016 master plan were its lack of punctuality and the longer travel times. These concerns are not ad- dressed when one considers the lack of road space allocated to the safe and efficient operation of public transport noted by the 2016 master plan. Interestingly, the document also lists "oppo- sition to dedicated bus lanes by strong car lobby," as one of the threats. The document blasted the short-term nature of transport policy which primarily focussed on, "new road construction or in- creasing existing road capacity at problematic locations in isolation rather than considering the wider strategic policy context." Among the achievements boast- ed by the past two governments was the €700 million spend to upgrade Malta's road network which is far from immune to the ever-increasing number of pri- vate cars. Coordination between entities still lacking In 2016, the master plan also noted the significant need of "co- ordination between Transport Malta, Local Councils and ser- vice utility entities for electricity, water, drainage and communica- tions and agencies responsible for preservation of heritage." At the time, road works fell under the competence of local councils, as Infrastructure Malta had not yet been established. Interestingly, a few days ago Transport Minister Chris Bonett stated that when it comes to co- ordination "we are not where I wish we would be," when speak- ing on TVM's Xtra. 'Politicians lack courage' Karl Camilleri, an engineer and researcher at MCAST who has published papers on Malta's traffic issues, spoke with Malta- Today about the possible solu- tions to the deteriorating traffic situation. "The solution lies in reducing cars from our roads," he said bluntly, as he lambasted the cur- rent belief that widening roads can solve the problem. "The more roads you build, the more people are encouraged to use their car," Camilleri explained. According to Camilleri, com- muters need incentives and dis- incentives that would lead to them choosing not to travel us- ing their personal car, "although the latter wouldn't win you any votes," he joked. Referring to disincentives, Camilleri men- tioned paid parking as one of the options. "Unfortunately, politicians lack the courage to take necessary ac- tion, and so they do not plan for the long term." This comes at a cost, as Camill- eri noted that when people are subjected to the stresses brought about by traffic congestion every day, people's health starts to de- cline. "It's an anthropogenic issue," he said, concluding that the traffic problem cannot be fixed without short-term costs.