Many of Malta’s main roads are not designed for cars speeding at 80 kilometres an hour, the national speed limit, according to Transport Malta.
The statement comes after the pre-Budget document released early this month suggested raising the speed camera limit to 80 kph from 60 kph to cut emissions.
The transport watchdog is critical of the proposal, pointing out that a 2005 study by the UK Transport Department had shown that such a measure would have little or no impact on fuel efficiency and emissions.
Moreover, the regulator stressed that increasing speeds would have a knock-on effect on accidents. According to the same UK study, a five per cent increase in speed leads to a 10 per cent more injuries and 20 per cent more fatal accidents.
In light of this, TM said it was particularly concerned, given that many main roads “are not actually designed for speeds of 80 kilometres per hour”. It also criticised the green logic of the proposal when applied to Maltese roads.
Given Malta’s short distances, raising the speed limit on main roads would encourage drivers to accelerate constantly from a residential speed limit of 40kph (unless otherwise indicated) to 80kph, a situation that would lead to more noxious emissions, which increase during acceleration.
The proposal, which was also slammed by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, was made by a government-appointed “green economy working group”.
The proposed measure generated a heated debate with many comments reflecting frustration with speed cameras. Some, for instance, pointed out that fixed cameras were not effective because drivers were simply decelerating when they drove next to them.
But while it acknowledged this “kangaroo effect”, TM said the cameras were still effective in reducing speeds around a buffer zone surrounding the cameras.
“In the case of fixed speed cameras, there is little evidence to suggest that they have an impact on crash reduction in other parts of the network. However, within a ‘halo’ of a few kilometres of the camera site they are proven to be a highly effective enforcement and road safety tool,” the regulator said.
TM is now compiling its own evidence, measuring speeds around cameras with hand-held speed guns. The plan is to develop a comparison with similar speed surveys conducted before the fixed cameras were installed.
It also analysed road traffic accidents to determine the effectiveness of speed cameras and other traffic management measures that were implemented over the past five years.
TM said it would publish the findings of research and draw up a number of policy measures to improve speed management.