MaltaToday previous editions

MT 6 September 2015

Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/567101

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 15 of 55

maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2015 16 News A staggering 329,053 motor ve- hicles are currently licensed in Malta, 58,000 more than were licensed ten years ago. 10,333 ve- hicles were licensed between June 2013 and June 2014 alone, an av- erage of over 28 a day. Moreover new developments and changing demographics and trends are pushing the traf- fic situation in certain localities like Sliema and St Paul's Bay to the brink. And with more devel- opment planned, attracting new traffic even to rural areas, Malta may soon reach gridlock. Cause and effect So far the government's trans- port policy has hinged on address- ing the symptoms of the escalating problem, such as the early morn- ing rush, by focusing on school hours while seeking funding for big infrastructural projects such as a mono rail to address the roots of the problem. Moreover the white paper has not been accom- panied by scientific studies showing how the proposed measures will impact on traf- fic flows and how sustainable the reduction in traffic will be if current trends of car owner- ship persist. One concrete and more im- mediate way which is being considered to address the problem is that of encouraging maritime connections. This is because this requires less capital investment than major infrastructure. But absent from the govern- ment's policy is any linkage be- tween its development model, which hinges on a construc- tion boom, and traffic manage- ment. For mega developments bring with them more traffic, for example the Townsquare project in itself will increase traffic flow by 4,000 cars a day. Other developments include the 32-storey high Metropo- lis in Gzira, the still to be ap- proved four towers in Mriehel and the Villa Rosa development. New projects can even result in increasing pressure for new roads. Surely some road projects like the Kappara flyover are needed to re- duce congestion and thus improve air quality. But others may simply bring more traffic to both urban and rural areas. For example 770 apartments in the Mistra heights project are set to create gridlock at Xemxija and make a tunnel passing through Mizieb imperative. The impact assessment for the Mistra project acknowledges, "in the absence of an alternative bypass, in order to alleviate the strain on the existing transportation route, the draco- nian measure would be to halt all development in Xemxija and Mel- lieha altogether". Moreover new roads may well act as a catalyst for more urbani- sation, which in itself brings with it more cars. And the decision to facilitate the construction of 3,000 square metre petrol stations in ODZ areas may well open the floodgates for more future devel- opment along roads like the newly extended coast road. Are car parks a solution? One argument in favour of mega developments – especially high rises – is that these can be planned in a holistic way to con- tain the heavier traffic flows in new car parks tailor made for these projects. Townsquare de- veloper Michael Soler, a direc- tor of the Gasan Group, makes a convincing argument that the creation of more car park spaces means that cars would not have to circulate around Sliema until they find where to park. Moreover he argues that traffic problems are not related to high- rise buildings. "This is a very big misconception because develop- ing the site horizontally will have exactly the same impact on traffic as developing the site vertically." But develop- ments like Town- square and Metropo- lis may themselves create more attractions like retail shops and malls, which further exacerbate traffic flows. Even rural development brought about by planning policies facili- tating the approval of commercial activities in the countryside may increase traffic flows in rural areas. The development of supermarkets in the outskirts of localities may well divert traffic from clogged areas, but it may also move traffic to areas which are presently light of traffic. The urban sprawl But what could exacerbate traffic problems is the cumulative impact of urbanisation. Not only have lo- calities like Sliema and Gzira started growing again after years of decline but new developments like the American University in Cottonera and Marsaskala may well worsen the traffic and parking situation in these localities. The SmartCity development has Roadmap to gridlock? As the number of cars reaches record figures and more large-scale developments are encouraged, is there any interest in solving the traffic problems? Ultimately the solution may be that of reducing the number of cars using the roads through an improved public transport system There are almost 30 new cars a day being registered in Malta 329,053 motor vehicles are currently licensed in Malta That's an increase of 58,000 over 2005 James Debono James Debono

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of MaltaToday previous editions - MT 6 September 2015