The social function of roads

It is nice to read (The Public And Its Space, July 21) that this government, "besides being pro-business and pro-tourism", is also "pro-citizen" - even if the latter sounds suspiciously like an afterthought.

In his piece Jason Azzopardi proudly announces that "the forces of law and order" have taken action against various cafés and other establishments, removing any tables, chairs and other street furniture that had been placed in public areas without permission. Based on a few internet blogs, Mr Azzopardi goes on to note "with some satisfaction" that this enforced removal of tables etc. from pavements has been well-received by the public.

This is fine but, while Mr Azzopardi and his bloggers might think this is a good thing, might they perhaps be ignoring the fact that, besides being a public space, roads are also a social space? Are there not worse things wrong with our roads which demand even more urgent attention? Mr Azzopardi's (and his bloggers') vision is of empty dreary streets designed to allow maximum traffic flow (and parking space) with few pedestrians scurrying like ants along narrow pavements in single file.

Chasing people off the pavement with such zeal is a reflection of Malta's car-obsessed attitude to roads. The public space which we call "road" or "street" has completely lost its social function because it has been taken over by the car. Instead of taking steps to encourage people back on to our streets, Mr Azzopardi's mission seems to be the opposite; it would appear that, in his vocabulary, the road is strictly reserved to keep people moving with a narrow pavement serving as something in the nature of a conveyor belt for those few who happen not to be in a car. This attitude is based on wrong thinking because there is more to the public space we call road or street than meets the eye.

Roads built in Malta over the past 60 years or so have been designed solely for maximising traffic flow and parking space. They have become the exclusive reserve of vehicle traffic and the many social and recreational functions of public spaces have been totally eroded. New roads in residential areas are straight (and, often, unnecessarily one-way) and encourage fast driving. That human beings are also meant to use the road is overlooked.

Pavements are often so narrow as only to allow pedestrians to walk in single file and oblige mothers with young children in prams to share the roadway with traffic. Such pavements discourage walking and introduce a negative health aspect. The vast majority of our roads are empty of trees which might otherwise make them more inviting and provide shade from the hot summer sun. In new residential areas the roads are so dreary and uninviting that residents resort to using their car to go elsewhere by car for a stroll. Provisions for the old or disabled are rudimentary or absent.

While not entering into the merits or otherwise of the individual cases referred to by Mr Azzopardi, it is relevant to point out that the eviction of people back inside cafés and restaurants goes against the underlying principle that roads should have a social function. Thus, rather than encouraging people to meet each other in our streets, they are being forced off by being deprived of opportunities to sit in the street and watch life go by. The assurance that tourism, business and the citizen can be "served well" by such action doesn't quite sound right in the context of getting people off the pavement and back indoors.

When considering such cases surely one should be aware that the road belongs also to people and not only to cars. It is time that quality of life started to take precedence over traffic movement. Why not make our streets more pedestrian-friendly so as to entice people and, particularly, children to use them more and at the same time discourage over-use of cars? How about doing quite the opposite - widening some pavements, planting trees here and there and pedestrianising some streets for a start? How about gradually introducing nicely paved streets where pedestrians have priority and where cars may only drive at strictly controlled slow speeds? The function of the road as a public meeting place should be restored rather than eroded and public spaces given back to people. Therefore there is ample reason why tables outside cafés and restaurants should be encouraged (within reason) rather than the contrary. This will bring about a more cheerful atmosphere in our bleak roads.