I wish to give up my car

I wish to give up my car, and I wish you would give up yours too. Dream on, some may say. But as more and more time is spent in traffic and driving becomes even more stressful than it already is, I think many will start to change their mind.

We are in dire need of a policy that rewards those who walk, cycle or use public transport to commute

When the air in our roads becomes dense with car exhaust and the rumbling sound of car engines becomes tiring, and when walking in the streets becomes even more unbearable, then I think we will collectively agree it is much more pleasant to live in roads with fewer cars, quieter neighbourhoods, cleaner air and greener environments.

Cars have become to society what excessive calories are to our bodies. Too many calories lead to excess weight, clog arteries and possibly even lead to cardiac arrest; in the same way, cars are clogging our roads and bringing our lives to a halt every time we decide to commute.

With over 300,000 cars on our roads, Malta has one of the highest car densities in the world. And if we think driving a car in traffic is stressful today, we’d better enjoy it, because next year there will be 6,000 more cars pouring on our roads. And the following year the situation will be even worse.

Cars have become detrimental to the well-being of Maltese society and a threat to a healthy economy. They are the primary cause of air pollution and noise pollution. They have created an environment that is hostile to any form of outdoor exercise. This ‘obesogenic’ environment may be a determining factor behind the low levels of physical activity and high levels of obesity in Maltese society, even among children.

Maltese environmentalist Alan Deidun has written repeatedly about the space taken up by cars, parking spaces, wider roads and car parks. This space could instead be dedicated to gardens and playgrounds for families to enjoy and where they could be active, or else be used for cultivating crops.

Cars pollute buildings and add to the cost to the taxpayer to renovate buildings that could otherwise be spent in a million other ways, not least to sustain the increasing costs of healthcare, to promote programmes that encourage healthy and active ageing, or to continue to improve our roads and public transport system. The opportunity cost is indeed very high.

In economic terms, delivery and transport of goods and services has become inefficient. People in Malta are wasting a lot of time in traffic – time that could be better spent in productive activities, hobbies or with family and friends.

Tourists and friends who visit Malta are complaining that the islands have become claustrophobic. The toll is also weighing on the public service which needs to deploy police officers and wardens at various points over the islands to control traffic, and be ready to intervene swiftly in the event of a road traffic accident.

The business of promoting more car use has now become a drain on the Maltese economy – more cars on our roads do not translate into more efficient and more affordable transport; rather they bring with them a number of negative social and economic costs.

A modest car may easily reduce family disposable income by around €2,000 per year – €1,000 in depreciation and €1,000 for fuel, servicing, insurance and licence fees. This means Malta’s 300,000 cars are costing our families around €600 million per year, a big chunk of which is given to foreign countries to import the cars and the fuel.

We are in dire need of policy that rewards people who walk, cycle or use public transport to commute, and disincentives car use.

Unfortunately, this is a problem we have all brought on ourselves. Few choose to take the bus, walk or cycle to work.

We all want to drive our car. Even if this means that for health reasons we need to dedicate a precious extra hour in the evening briskly walking along a promenade leaving less time for other important activities.

The idea of pedestrianising village cores to create a space for social interaction and ‘giving roads back to residents’ was highlighted in a recent report authored by Dr George Debono entitled Healthy Mobility in Sliema and published by The Today Public Policy Institute.

As long as the car culture persists and we do not strive to change it, the situation can only get worse. Having more efficient public transport may call for an initial investment to expand the current fleet of around 300 buses and an increase in the number of bus lanes.

We may expect the costs for such an undertaking to be initially high and car traffic to increase – at least until trends change and more people choose public transport over driving their personal cars. The pill to swallow may indeed be bitter, but it is our only chance of cure.

Choosing alternative ways of transport may have incredible benefits on a personal level as well. Giving up on our car may mean some good exercise commuting to work, or time for reflection or reading on the bus.

Alternatively, one may decide to car pool and enjoy spending some time chatting with others on the way. This will also spare our environment some car exhaust and our climate some greenhouse gases.

The future is in our hands. The situation will surely get worse if we keep ignoring the facts. I sincerely hope we collectively take responsibility for the current situation, make it our own and support policy that will change the way we commute and the environments we live in.

For one moment, just close your eyes and imagine cleaner air, quieter streets and faster ways of transport. Imagine trusting your children to walk to school, imagine it being safe and enjoyable to cycle to work, imagine finding a parking space without too much hassle, or even better, imagine a bus that gets you to work much quicker than your car.

Until that time arrives we may all just stand and wait. I appeal to all to make life-changing choices for the better and, on the eve of an election, to ask our politicians to promise reforms that will ensure more efficient means of transport, the promotion of alternative means of transport such as cycling, walking and using public transport, and the creation of environments that are healthier to live in.

Roberto Debono is a medical doctor and a public health specialist.