Friday, 10th July 2009
Emissions alerts
ADT admits it ignored SMS reports
The Malta Transport Authority (ADT) yesterday admitted it had not tested any cars reported by SMS throughout 2008 saying it was working on a new automated system to filter such information.
While it apologised for temporarily suspending tests on reported vehicles, the ADT said that emissions tests were still being carried out by VRT stations, by road-side inspections and by random checks on private passenger-carrying and goods-carrying vehicles, including public transport buses, coaches, trucks and other heavy vehicles.
The transport watchdog was reacting to a damning report, tabled in Parliament by the Auditor General, which revealed that the ADT had ignored text messages sent in by citizens reporting vehicles that were belching thick, black smoke into the air.
Vehicle emissions are a major source of air pollution, which impacts negatively on public health and the environment. Their effects are further aggravated by Malta's high vehicle density and the fact that the average age of cars is much higher than the EU average.
According to the report, the public reported 30 per cent of the public transport vehicles, 10 per cent of commercial vehicles and four per cent of private vehicles.
In its reply, the ADT said it had conducted just over 1,300 random road-side tests on coaches and buses since 2005. Of these, 743 failed the test. Between October 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007, it had summoned a total of 1,200 vehicles for testing on the basis of text messages it had received. Of these, 721 vehicles were tested and a licence restriction was issued to the remaining 479 that failed to turn up for their appointment.
Licence restrictions do not allow owners to renew their vehicle licence before it passed the emissions test.
With regard to the temporary suspension of the SMS-generated emissions tests, the ADT said its initiative to revamp and automate the manual and time-consuming SMS filtering process had been "opportunely not mentioned by the (Auditor's) report".
Once the new system was in place, it would call up for emission testing those vehicles reported by three or more SMS messages over the past months.
Since the report was tabled in Parliament, several people posted comments on timesofmalta.com with many calling it "a waste of people's time and money". Despite knowing it had not summoned any reported vehicles for testing since last year, the ADT still urged the public to continue sending reports on 5061 1899.
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Comments
Does the ADT think that it can make fun of the Maltese?
Big disgrace on ADT.
The NAO report (available online) tells a very different story. At page 39 it quotes the ADT as saying that it did NOT intend to introduce such a system because "the costs involved were deemed to outweigh any arising benefits".
This discrepancy is frankly disturbing. The ADT has some serious explaining to do.
The SMS Emission Alert was only supposed to supplement ADT’s efforts and not to replace their inspectors! So an average of one inspection a day is ineffective and unacceptable.
I suggest ADT employ/subcontract X teams of 2 people each. One stays at the bottom of a hill, takes note of the registration numbers of vehicles (including buses) and if necessary alerts his team-mate at the top of the hill to stop the vehicle concerned. Set targets for these teams (more than 1 a day!) and pay them accordingly. The fines collected will more than pay for the expense of employing/subcontracting these teams.
The public transport reform is a great opportunity to remove the old polluting buses from our streets. The government should be fully supported to overcome any resistance to the radical reforms needed.
Then see the last paragraph. They are asking us to continue sending the sms! Who's going to fall for it now?