Unwelcome kings of the road

For years on end, successive administrations have strived to upgrade our distressed road system. For a long time this was truly a standing national joke. With the aid of European Cohesion funds and renewed administrative vigour from successive Transport Ministries and government pumping millions of liri and euros into it, our road network is slowly but surely shaping up into a more modern and revamped transport system.

Ironically for an island of about 300 square kilometres, transport and the attendant implications of getting from one place to another remain an obvious bone of contention and controversy. The usual suspects clearly remain excessive pollution, interminable congestion leading to lower productivity, a suppressed appetite for our uncongenial public transport and last, but surely not least, road safety.

The crisis of our road network stems from a number of historical faux pas. Sadly, planning ahead has not always been a forte of the Maltese mindset. Hence, our road network has for a long time been considered a string of roads and highways that in some way manage to get you from A to B, lending very little credence to traffic flow and efficient travel.

One can never forget the ingenious and creative road planning of the late 1970s and early 1980s that introduced the concept of bendy highways and flexible thoroughfares accommodating particular landowners while harshly penalising others for reasons well known. The ferocious urban sprawl that gripped the country over the last 30 years was also another debilitating factor on our road network planning.

Added to this is the phenomenal explosion in car ownership. Presently (and I am sure this figure will have to be updated soon!), there are about 430,000 cars registered to drive on the Maltese roads. A total 308,000 of these vehicles are licensed with a complement of 221,000 registered drivers. This in a country that has a population of about 400,000! The figures are absolutely staggering. I concede that no planner, even one with a very fertile imagination, could have forecast such dramatic numbers even up till 10 years ago. The implications of all this is the day-to-day horrific situation we face on our roads!

Last March, the Minister for Home Affairs, Carm Mifsud Bonnici revealed a set of figures relating to the number of traffic accidents reported over the past decade. The figures were in a sense highly contradictory. Reported traffic accidents have steadily decreased over a 10-year period (2000-2010). In fact, from a high of about 14,000 accidents in 2002, those reported last year were a mere shadow standing at about 3,000. This anomaly could be the result of a change of system in that, since 2004, local wardens have been handling traffic accidents where no injuries are involved.

Unfortunately, the statistics relating to victims of fatal incidents over the same period have remained persistently high. The numbers make grim reading. Since 2000 and up to March this year, 168 persons have lost their lives in tragic traffic accidents. Incidentally, last year had the highest figure of mortalities with 21 persons losing their lives. Some will be quick to point out that Malta retains a record of low traffic accidents compared to Europe. At 15 deaths in 2008, Malta was the EU state with the lowest proportion of road deaths. However, figures can be misleading.

It is true that when one studies the Global Status Report on Road Safety, published by the World Health Organisation (2009), Malta ranks 176th in a list of 178 countries, posting the least number of road traffic deaths in the world. It is also true that this figure could be distorted in the sense that the amount of kilometres travelled by Maltese drivers and commuters is surely significantly lower due to the size of our island. Statistics apart, these futile deaths leave behind them a trail of human suffering both in emotional and financial costs.

Road traffic safety is still held in a very cavalier fashion among too many Maltese drivers. While the state continues to strive in striking a balance between improved road safety and the provision of an effective efficient transport system, many drivers remain cynical and impartial to measures such as vehicular road testing, seat belts, exacting driver testing, speed cameras, driving licence point system and traffic calming measures.

Reaching equitable solutions taking account of the needs of drivers, commuters and pedestrians remains tricky and controversial at best. We still have a long way to go to fully accept the concept of shared space. This again is an anathema of the Maltese psyche. Road safety measures must remain designed not only to increase the safety of drivers but of all users of our roads. Very often we highlight the needs of drivers marginalising the needs of vulnerable road users at their expense. A recent spate of bookings of unlicensed and, therefore, uninsured drivers is a case in point.

Education remains the key to safer roads for us all. It remains paramount that, with such a burgeoning mass of vehicles on the road, discipline must remain vital. Clamping down on road hogs is not an option, it is imperative and indispensable. The king of the road is no longer welcome on our roads!

info@carolinegalea.com