As the sun set last week on a rather windy and subdued summer, the start of yet another scholastic year ushered in the customary traffic jams in practically every junction on the island, ironically on a day earmarked to be rid of cars. Throw some rain into the mix and we’re back to frustration and road stress. But why?
Why on earth do we bother with car-free days in the first place and, above all, why bother organising a car-free day on the first day of school?
Didn’t it ever cross the organiser’s minds that they are setting themselves up to fail?
Although I admire the six local councils, who joined some 1,900 cities around Europe, for their initiative, I fail to understand the whole point of the exercise. To me it’s like carrying water to the sea: pointless.
We live on an island where a collision in Mellieħa would create a traffic jam as far south as Marsaxlokk, so can we really afford to block off entire roads?
Cars are an integral part of our society, and there’s no going back, whether they pollute or not. Our landscape, our work, our infrastructure and our economy are all linked to metal on wheels.
Initiatives should centre around making all modes of transport cleaner and safer, not directed at abolishing them from our roads.
An initiative to be applauded, however, is the call for tenders for the building of two flyovers at the congested Kappara junction issued by the government’s department of contracts.
The project would allow the 6,000-odd cars (including mine) that use this junction every hour, to cruise through with ease, probably getting stuck at another junction a few kilometres up the road.
Flyovers and underground passes definitely ease the traffic congestion on our roads, which at times reaches unacceptable levels. However, I would like to see other measures introduced, such as restricted times for delivery vans and construction lorries outside peak hours.
How about organising a ‘car-fee’ day whereby car owners are charged extra for using their cars on particular days?
The money collected would go towards environment-friendly projects. I quite like the idea, even if I say so myself.
In contrast to car-free day, an event that has been successful for the past three years or so is the Mdina Grand Prix, which this year will be held between next Sunday and October 11.
The programme is pretty extensive, with scrutineering at the National Aquarium next Sunday, the Thomas Smith Mellieħa Hill Climb on October 9, the Mdina Glass Concours d’Elegance on October 10, practice and qualifying on October 11, and the actual race on October 12 starting at 9am in the scenic setting beneath the Mdina Bastions.
And don’t forget the airshow today!