Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/997322
OPINION 26 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 JUNE 2018 TRANSPORT and mobility are still discussed super- ficially and only as far as policies (or lack of them) affect parking spaces or a government minister who proudly announces a spank- ing new road. Government is in a road-building frenzy at the moment. Not to mention the crazy waste of billions of Euros for an underwater tun- nel between Malta and Gozo. All this has the PLPN stamp of approval, of course. In the meantime, while pursuing the popular myth that road building will in some way improve mobility, they ignore completely whole chunks of the reports paid for by public money, such as the 2025 Transport Master Plan. Do residential roads need fixing and in some cases rebuilding completely? Of course, they do. This was always the responsibility of central government. The real issue, however, is mak- ing residential roads safer and people-friendly. The real need is to identify more and more zones which can be pe- destrianised and others which can become 'home zones'. 'Home zones' are roads which are designed or redesigned to meet, first and foremost, the needs of pedestrians, commuting cyclists, children and residents and where the speed and dominance of cars is reduced drastically. It's a hard sell to make to local communities, and there is a huge lack of support from Transport Malta and the new 'roads agency'. These two government organisations have morphed into 'car promotion agencies'. The popular thing to promise is more and more parking spaces. I know some people who moan continuously when zones close to village schools are closed to cars during the half-hour before school starts and after school finishes. Some people are so addicted to their car that they insist on driving their little darlings, if possible to within a milli- metre of the classroom. They take to Facebook to whinge about the 'huge inconven- iences' they have to endure, poor souls. The understand- able exceptions and particu- lar cases are used as examples to thwart any local initiatives to make streets more people- friendly and safer. As for arterial roads; the arterial road widening and flyover frenzy is self-defeat- ing. Take the fancily named 'Central Link' joining Buqana, slicing through Attard and going on to Mriehel road building frenzy as an exam- ple. All this will do is increase traffic, car use, congestion and pollution. In a few years congestion will be much worse than today. At least certain parts of the project will turn existing roads into wide racetracks through resi- dential areas. Not to mention the total lack of facilities for alternative means of trans- port such as bicycles and electric bicycles. Here again Malta is as backwards as one can get when compared to cities in continental Europe. Traffic congestion is the effect and not the cause of the lack of sustainable mobility: it is the effect of negligence. Negli- gence in a transport policy accumulated over years and years of PLPN governments that had no vision and no idea of long-term planning. All they care about is their party-club faithful who do not give two hoots about policy to clap and cheer them on every Sunday. The real issue is that we have created a society totally dependent on the private car. Build- ing more roads for cars on limited land will not resolve anything. It will just post- pone the problem, which will be passed on to future generations. Government prefers popu- list rhetoric to real action. Action which is also pro- posed in the Transport Mas- ter Plan 2025. It is negligent and politically irresponsible for government to ignore its own strategy. The strat- egy states clearly that their needs to be a 'sustainable urban mobility plan' in place, that the aim of the strategy is 'reducing the role of the car', public transport quality corridors, and low emission zones. More specifically the strategy requires segregated busways between the most densely populated areas, that is stretches of roads reserved for buses. It proposes pub- lic transport servicing five new park-and-ride schemes designed to keep traffic out of urban centres. Segregated busways would enable the use of bendy-buses. This government was right when it decided to abandon old, diesel bendy-buses on urban narrow roads. This was the work of incompetent political appointees and a transport system planned by a law firm. But there may be a place for a badly needed Bus Rapid Transit system along arte- rial roads. We should look at countries like Sweden where the latest technology is be- ing trialled by using electric buses which can literally transport hundreds of people at one go. All that PLPN are interested in are more and more roads. It is the popular thing to promise. Instead of leading the way, the great and glori- ous 'people's party' and 'pro- business party' are happy to pass on the buck to future generations. AFTER spending hours in meetings in my office, I al- ways look forward to getting out to visit schools and spend time with staff and students. It's a very good way to get to know the good and the bad, and the environment people feel comfortable in. Each and every school has its own character. You get to learn about the work being done by incredi- ble individuals. Malta is lucky to have many dedicated edu- cators who do amazing things everyday. These achieve- ments might not always be front-page news, but parents know it is true because they see the results. I always talk about educa- tion in terms of a profession and a vocation. It cannot be one without the other. Profession indicates a level of seriousness in one's approach to work, but the vocation part is equally important because it frames the goal of helping children grow into responsible and functioning adults. This week a video clip uploaded on the Edukazz- joni Facebook page (fb.com/ edukazzjoni) brought to life yet another incredible story about educators. It was the story of Sarah Craig and four other educators who work at Mater Dei Hospital. Ms Craig works at the Rainbow Ward in the Oncology Centre. This is where children with cancer are treated, usually over a substantial period of time. Ms Craig is there to help them with their schooling but also to give them hope and encourage them to perse- vere. Her story has a twist. Ms Craig is a cancer survivor herself. When she was aged nine, she had to get treat- ment in the UK and managed to turn this dark chapter into willpower to help children today. Teachers and kindergarten assistants at Mater Dei do invaluable work in almost impossible circumstances. Together with the nurs- ing and medical staff there, they help children, and their parents, in moments of great difficulty. Through their dedication and patience they make a difference in people's lives every single day. These edu- cators are not alone. There are many others who work very hard to help children and young people become who they are destined to be, to look beyond the present and into the future, and to be ambitious and have a positive attitude about life. There's no award big enough for these people and what they achieve. I only hope they know how ap- preciative we all are of their endeavours. My line of work; politics, can sometimes be partisan, crude and nasty, but the drive and dedication of these people certainly makes it worthwhile. In education, all that matters is the little bit of difference we make; the good advice of a teacher, the sup- port of an LSE or a counsel- lor lending an ear could be all that's needed to change someone's life. I'd like to thank all those that have contributed to another successful scholas- tic year. The work done in schools every single day is truly amazing and each one of you is making life better for the next generation. It truly is a remarkable profes- sion and vocation. The road myth A profession, but also a vocation Ralph Cassar Evarist Bartolo Ralph Cassar is AD secretary-general, local councillor in Attard ralph.cassar@alternattiva.org.mt Evarist Bartolo is minister for education and employment