Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/567101
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2015 News 17 already created the need of a new road passing through the Tal-Fata agricul- tural fields in Zabbar. But environmen- tal impact studies have also shown that the new road, which still has to be ap- proved, will also "pump huge amounts of new traffic" into junctions which are already at over-capacity, and which al- ready handle traffic from Zabbar and Marsaskala, into densely populated Fgura. But it is not just mega projects, but al- so the cumulative impact of new apart- ment blocks: 65,737 new dwellings in the property boom between January 1998 and May 2008. The number of approved dwellings had incrementally increased every year from 3,970 in 2002 to 11,343 in 2007. But the number of approved dwellings declined sharply to 6,836 in 2008, de- clining every year till 2013 when it fell to 2,707. 2014 signalled a reversal of this trend, with the number of new dwellings in- creasing again from 2,707 in 2013 to 2,937 in 2014. Moreover the planning system offers developers the chance to compensate for any shortfall of parking spaces through a financial contribution to MEPA's Commuted Payment Park- ing Scheme. Instead of reinforcing the link between planning and traffic management, the government has recently relaxed re- quirements for traffic impact assess- ments – while at present any resi- dential block of over 50 apartments requires a TIS, only residential blocks of over 75 units will require one now. Fewer cars or the big fix? Ultimately the solution may be that of reducing the number of cars using the roads through an improved public transport system. Yet the traffic conges- tion on the roads makes sure that any improvements in public transport are limited simply for the reason that dur- ing the rush hour traffic is clogged. One way to address this would be that of measures aimed at decreasing cars on the streets through the encouragement of car pooling or incentivising public service employees to use buses. More draconian measures such as reserving alternate days for odd and even number plates, or imposing penalties on cars carrying fewer than two passengers, may be too unpopular to even contem- plate. Ultimately in the absence of reducing the number of cars, the only solution would be a great fix: a public transport system which does not use the existing road network, such as a monorail or an underground. But even for such a solution to have any benefits for the community in terms of air quality and a better qual- ity of life, the new layer of traffic above or below must be compensated by less traffic above and more pedestrianised and green areas. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Developments like Townsquare and Metropolis may create more attractions like retail shops and malls, further exacerbating traffic flows What MaltaToday readers suggested on observer.maltatoday.com.mt 'Key to traffic solution is organisation' Jim Borg suggested that subsidised private transport should be organised for students attending primary, secondary and tertiary education, MCAST and Higher Secondary included. Such transport – including buses and minivans – should be also available for workers heading to Bulebel, Floriana and Valletta, Enemalta and other main industrial estates. "Introduce parking fees for students and workers at Mater Dei, MCAST and at the University," Borg added. 'Teleworking and flexible hours' Derrick Pisani suggested that if teleworking and flexible working hours were the norm, there would be fewer people on the roads at one go. With workers choosing whether to start at 7.30am, 8.30am or 9.30am, and still do their daily eight hours work every day, it would relieve traffic during the peak hours. "What if the government incentivises flexitime and thus rewards employers who help spread the traffic-load over a few more hours? It's an idea that requires analysis and planning, but maybe it's a seed for some innovation in traffic management." Monorail 'MatthewB' suggested a good rail system that will serve us forever. It's a long term investment which Malta urgently requires, he said. "Our economy is growing at an extremely fast pace, as witnessed by the huge influx of foreigners choosing to move to Malta.Some estimates put as many as 200,000 foreigners living in Malta for considerable parts of the year, excluding tourists. "Suffice to say that many expats choose to buy a car or bring their car over to Malta when they move here. This is making things much worse. We need an alternative as they have in other countries and that could be a monorail." Incentivise use of motorcycle Gregorio Guccione suggested the removal of motorcycle licences and registration tax for motorcycles up to 250cc while offering credit to people acquiring motorcycles up to 250cc. Similarly, Josef Grima Duca suggested licence fees for motorcycles (125-250cc) should be waived or reduced, applicable for motorists aged 18+. "Malta has an average of 90 precipitation days a year, approximately 270 days without rain. Increase the age of car licence to 21 years+. By incentivizing the use of motorcycles and increasing the age of car licence, it will motivate youngsters and the more sceptic to opt for a motorcycle rather than a car." The origins Reader Bjorn Bonello pointed out that commuters have become too dependant on their cars and assuming that motorists will just leave their cars at home is a very superficial view of the problem. "We are also progressively losing parking spaces (with a lack of parking in important centres, Sliema, Birkirkara, Paola and more that are contributing to the loss of competitiveness in favour of 'out of town' centres) in favour of uses that attract more cars, and abusing planning policies and mechanisms that had originally been intended to alleviate parking impacts in a way that we have rendered them a contributor to the problem, rather than a solution. "Loss of on-site parking has increased on-street parking (legal and illegal) which has reduced road widths and road capacity, ultimately restricting manoeuvrability of public transport." Bonello said that many do not have a typical commuting pattern (home-work-home): after work most people carry out errands, drop off children for private lessons and extra curricular activities that simply cannot be done by public transport. "Without an efficient public transport system that is attractive and that connects to the main employment nodes to residential areas, nothing can be solved. "It is useless to dream about rails, tunnels and rapid mass transit when we have narrow winding roads, building commitments and ownership rights that necessitate expropriation and where land is fragmented between many owners, incalculable vehicular accesses (garage openings, ramps, basement levels) that would interfere with the running of such systems and lack of patronage (per hour) to make such a system economically feasible."