Transport watchdog determined to kill speed for good

A "coherent" national speed limitation policy is in the offing as the Malta Transport Authority seeks to kill speed for good in a concerted drive to reduce traffic accidents.

The new policy, likely to be introduced later this year, will be safe, enforceable and driver friendly, according to traffic expert and ADT consultant Peter Ripard.

Though statistics released recently by Eurostat showed that Malta had the safest roads in Europe, the actual fatality rate of vehicle/kilometre travelled in Malta paints a somewhat different picture.

Major Ripard, 70, the ADT's first general manager and a former chairman of the traffic control board, is determined to put his experience into practice and make roads safer.

"In what has become a very intensive urban environment, Malta is no longer the place where you can go for a drive to enjoy yourself. Fast cars for Malta don't make much sense," he told The Times.

The ADT is studying the impact of introducing different speed limits in the various roads. At present, the limit is 50km/hr in built-up areas and 80 km/hr outside such areas, though some roads have lower limits.

It was interesting to note, Major Ripard added, that the traditionally car-loving Germans have to stick to a 30km/hr speed limit when driving through town and village cores in Bavaria.

He disagrees that the authorities had gone overboard with speed cameras, pedestrian crossings, and, ultimately, narrower roads, which made it practically impossible to speed anyway.

"The underlying message is that we need to control speed," he said.

Speed cameras should not be installed to raise money, but merely for safety reasons, he argued, adding that a recently-appointed committee now ensures that all speed cameras are placed at specific areas depending on matters like traffic density.

For example, there were 12 fairly serious accidents in Notabile Road, Attard in 2005. Since the introduction of a speed camera there, there have been no accidents.

The vast majority of accidents in Malta are caused by excessive speed, Major Ripard noted, and the speed has a direct reflection on the severity of the accident. Studies show that some 45 per cent of all pedestrians hit by a car travelling at 50km/h will die, with figures going down drastically for cars moving at lower speeds.

Like other signatories to an EU policy on transport, Malta is bound to introduce measures to cut by half the number of road accident victims by 2010.

Major Ripard lauds the traffic measures taken over the last few years, which he believes have contributed to the decline in serious accidents.

Considering the density increase in vehicles and drivers along the years, the figures related to accidents have remained rather static. There are over 286,000 vehicles in Malta, and no fewer than 220,000 licensed drivers, 30,000 more than in 1995. Some 4,000 new individuals apply for a licence every year. Major Ripard listed several measures introduced along the years, which he believes were instrumental in curbing accidents.

"Do you remember a time when even 'stop' signs were negligible?" he smiles.

The authorities had to go down to basics, establish a road hierarchy and teach most drivers about who has a right of way. Safety measures like seat belts, crash helmets and breathalyser tests have been introduced, and remedial measures have been taken at traffic black spots, like the Ghallis Tower area.

The driving tests in the past were nothing short of "absurd", Major Ripard admitted. Incidentally, the ADT yesterday presented the certificates of appointment to nine new driving examiners, who were roped in following the recent scandal of the bribed examiners.

But the impact of a tiny island was also leaving its toll on the road network. The so-called bypasses built in the past have now been sucked into urban areas and have suddenly become urban roads without urban characteristics.

There are still several obstructions and, especially, misconceptions, as to what really leads to road safety. Suffice to look at the number of speed bumps built by local councils, a number of which breach the height specifications, according to Major Ripard.