Worsening traffic congestion will eventually be eased by the ongoing infrastructural projects, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat assured yesterday.
Addressing a question and answer session with the Malta Chamber for Commerce Industry and Enterprise, Dr Muscat said he understood drivers’ frustration but insisted the ongoing projects would help ease the situation.
“Works like those being done on the Coast Road and the Addolorata Junction may be creating traffic now, but they will help ease a lot of the pressure when finished,” he said.
If traffic is just a perception, then I must be getting stuck in a lot of perceptions
Dr Muscat also referred to comments made by a Transport Malta spokeswoman, who earlier this month told a radio interviewer that the popular belief that traffic was worsening was simply drivers’ perception.
“If this is just a perception, then I must be getting stuck in a lot of perceptions,” he quipped.
The island’s roads have been increasingly clogged in recent weeks as the opening of the scholastic year and the end of half-days coincided with a number of major road projects.
Dr Muscat, however, forecast clearer stretches of tarmac in the coming months, revealing a glimpse of the government’s proposed solution. He said the government was aware of the problems and was finalising a new traffic plan.
The proposed solutions, he said, included the introduction of new parking hubs, as well as a revamp of underutilised transport methods.
The government’s commitment to ease traffic would not come at the expense of new building developments either.
Dr Muscat said some had been calling for stricter traffic impact assessments to be carried out on construction projects.
This, however, was not the solution, he said.
“I can give you a traffic impact assessment for all new projects: they will increase traffic. God forbid we sign off on projects that don’t attract people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition yesterday called on Transport Minister Joe Mizzi to shoulder responsibility for the traffic situation.
Fifteen-minute trips were taking more than an hour, placing a burden on families and businesses, the PN said in a statement.
Chamber president David Curmi also addressed the meeting, putting forward a proposal to help Libyan businessmen carry out business on the island through temporary visas.
The system, he said, would allow entrepreneurs, currently unable to visit Malta, to attend business meetings and carry out short visits. This, he said, would have specific security checks and would only apply for a limited time window.
On pensions, Mr Curmi said the chamber felt the current incentives, put in place to push people towards setting up pension funds, were not strong enough. He also called for tax credits to be equal to individuals’ marginal income.
Higher earners, he said, experienced a harsher financial dip after leaving the work force.
In reply, Dr Muscat said the economy and the workforce could not afford a mandatory pension system.
“We want to go for a voluntary system to persuade people, rather than force them to enter pension plans,” he said.
Hinting at the upcoming Budget, Dr Muscat said the government had formulated a list of public-private partnerships that would create a new facet to the local economy.
“There has been some success in these partnerships – for instance when it comes to roundabout maintenance.
“But this can’t stop at flowers. We are excited about this new sector,” he said.