Why do we always shy away from doing the obvious? Isn’t it obvious that we need to, first and foremost, ensure safety in our roads? Isn’t it obvious that quality of life should be a prime objective for any government?

The recent discussions about the ‘traffic problem’ scare me in that we are not only missing the obvious but we seem to be going the opposite way.

Removing heavy vehicles from the road, reducing crossing times at pedestrian crossings, introducing one way systems and removing pavements to fit more cars, building fast and inaccessible infrastructure, splitting communities with traffic volumes that are beyond the carrying capacity of the environment and infrastructure, and, for most of it, scaring people off the road and making our towns and villages unpleasant and anonymous. These are just some examples of discourse I have picked up over the last few weeks.

Tackling the traffic problem must be about tackling the car

Now, the obvious would suggest that we tackle the problem. The problem is car dependence. Our use of the car has made us irrational in that we travel in the most expensive way irrespective of distance or purpose.

Tackling the traffic problem must be about tackling the car, not the other things that are so dependent on the available infrastructure to subsist.

Has anyone worked out the cost to the economy of removing heavy vehicles during peak hours? Has anyone worked out the cost of road accidents on our health service and the economy?

Has anyone worked out the cost of investing in a first class, efficient school transport system that would eliminate the need for children to be driven to school? Has anyone worked out the impact of increased traffic on local streets and communities? These communities are, after all, the foundation for social sustainability.

By tackling the car we give importance to other modes; we encourage walking by providing proper pavements. Most of our pavements are under-designed and do not allow safe walking in our streets.

Adopt shared spaces, where the built environment allows it, and reduce the speed of cars to allow them to mix with pedestrians and cyclists. Needless to say, one should try and reduce speed even to allow for cyclists, where the inclusion of cycling infrastructure is not possible. It is all possible with clever road design.

Another obvious proposition is to give bus priority. If the government is so intent to make the public transport work and offer it as an efficient alternative, give it priority over the car! Many cities have realised this and have sacrificed road space or redesigned roads on busy corridors to introduce bus lanes.

The concept of dedicated space was already studied in 2007 as part of a study on Bus Rapid Transit Systems and, later, in 2008, for the feasibility of a Light Rail System, both of which require dedicated lanes. It is difficult due to limitations in space but certainly not impossible. If the car is the problem, then let’s tackle it. The car comes at a very high cost that many do not see and do not pay for. Pricing the use of the car to reflect its real cost has been hailed for decades by transport economists as the most effective way in which one controls traffic. A fundamental starting point for tackling the problem is therefore pricing.

And, finally, a proper infrastructure to fund research in this area is critical. This helps the country in two ways.

It increases the variety of skills required in the country to implement and maintain transport systems. We have had a dearth of expertise in the various areas of specialisation within transport for too long now.

And, second, it allows for the knowledge and information, which is so critical to decision making, to be customised to the local conditions.

Despite having transport problems that are similar to other cities, Malta has a different morphology, culture and climate, all of which influence the success or otherwise of initiatives, techniques, materials and measures aimed at solving the transport problem.

But, again, aren’t these obvious statements?

Yes they are but somehow in our planning and policy making, these obvious statements are many a time avoided.

I dare to propose a reason for this, in that we want to tackle the car but are too scared of it, so we try to accommodate it rather then face it.

www.um.edu.mt/iccsd

Maria Attard is director of the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the University of Malta.