Updated - Adds Transport Minister Joe Mizzi's reply -
Nationalist MP Kristy Debono (PN) said in parliament today that she conservatively estimated that traffic congestion was costing the country some €45m to €50 million a year.
Speaking during the budget debate on transport and the infrastructure she said her estimate was based on a salary of €15.61 per hour. This calculation, she explained, only included an hour per week in traffic for only a third of the population. There were also what were known as 'leisure costs' (free time lost to traffic) amounting to €4.61 per hour.
Traffic congestion not only cost motorists more, but it wasted their time and could also have implications on Malta's attractiveness as an investment destination, she said.
She said that with the government planning a bus subsidy of €23m next year, it should consider waiving fares, at least for a time, to attract the people to the buses, as long as the service was efficient.
Earlier in the debate, the shadow minister for public transport, Toni Bezzina, said that the government was substantially raising costs for motorists through higher licence fees, more expensive insurance policies and fuel costs which were kept high despite a sharp drop in international prices.
Motorists were also losing time and spending more on fuel because of worsening road congestion, caused by poor planning.
It was estimated, he said, that motorists would spend €830 per year.
Mr Bezzina referred to the bus service and said that the government appeared to be playing down bus fires which had taken place in the months following the withdrawal of the bendy buses.
In the wake of a number of fires on the bendy buses, the government withdrew the vehicles from the roads. At the time it had claimed that taking them off the roads would ease traffic congestion. The opposite had happened.
Furthermore, a number of fires on the buses had taken place after the bendy buses were withdrawn. In contrast to what happened for the bendy buses, the governemnt appeared to play down these incidents, even though the fire-fighters intervened in seven cases.
Mr Bezzina said the government had given Arriva the opportunity to cancel the contract it had with the government, and then burdened taxpayers with the consequences – including a €2 million direct order for the lease of private buses.
The bus service had since deteriorated. The level of bus maintenance had gone down, services were stopping earlier in the evening, punctuality had deteriorated and several buses had no effective air conditioning. Many of the leased buses were also not low floor.
It was a disgrace, Mr Bezzina said, that Transport Minister Joe Mizzi had gone to Spain to hold talks with bidder Autobuses de Leon when the preferred bidder was not officially announced. What was the real reason for this visit?
The government, he said, was negotiating with the new bus operator from a position of weakness because the number of bidders was low.
Now the government was facing court action by the local bidding consortium because it was changing the contract conditions as laid down in the call for expressions of interest. The government was being accused of moving the goal posts after it was revealed that the subsidy was being increased and new services would be rolled out gradually and not at one go.
The talks between the government and the Spanish bidders had continued despite the court order for a halt, Mr Bezzina said.
Turning to congestion on the roads, Mr Bezzina said the worsening conditions on the roads were raising economic costs for the country and motorists.
He complained of bad planning in road works and asked what had become of the government's coordinating committee.
He also complained that although international fuel prices were down, the government had hardly moved them and motorists ere were spending an average of €5 per week more than they should.
Mr Bezzina said no headway had been made by the government on the possibility of alternative ways of land transport. Various transport-related infrastructural projects had also fallen behind schedule, including the Coast Road and the Kappara junction.
He said the Opposition agreed with plans to improve the Marsa junctions but not designs which were clearly aimed to help the Labour Party by creating a large parking space for the One Production workers. This meant taking over an excessive amount of land, spending more, and relocating two factories.
Mr Bezzina reiterated the call by the leader of the opposition for transport for pupils in Church and independent schools to be fully subsidised by the government - as in the case of state schools - so as to reduce pressure on the roads.
Nationalist MP Censu Galea, who spoke later, asked what had become of the proposed parking policy and said parking too was becoming an acute problem.
He said the government was also failing to act about traffic congestion in the Xemxija Hill/Mistra area, among other locations.
Mr Galea insisted proper and detailed studies have to be carried out about or a bride or tunnel to Gozo and said the environment must not be harmed.
On the public-private partnership on roads maintenance, Mr Galea said a mechanism already existed and should be used, rather than wasting time or creating something new for the same purpose.
Kristy Debono (PN) said that she conservatively estimated that traffic congestion was costing the country some €45 to €50 million a year based on a salary of €15.61 per hour. This calculation, she explained, only included an hour per week in traffic for only a third of the population. There were also what were known as 'leisure costs' (free time lost to traffic) amounting to €4.61 per hour.
Ms Debono said that as an incentive to encourage the people to use the buses, the government should consider waiving the fares for a period of time, since there was no doubt that getting more people to use the bus service - for as long as it was efficint - would save the country considerable costs.
BUS USERS INCREASE
Winding up, Transport Minister Joe Mizzi said this had been a challenging year for the government, managing the bus service while seeking a new operator. Yet the number of passengers had increased by 10 per cent.
The number of complaints was down by half. The number of service interruptions caused by bus breakdowns had been reduced because maintenance was carried out more frequently.
Mr Mizzi said intensive and delicate talks were being held with Autobuses de Leon who would operate the new bus service in January. Every chance had been given to those who wished to operate the bus service, even the group which they year would make € 10 million from the leasing of buses.
The government, Mr Mizzi said, would not repeat the mistakes of the past and would therefore roll out and extend the new service gradually, with the number of buses being gradually increased. The purpose was for the use of the buses to become a real option for the people.
The minister said the government had had no option but to let Arriva go because the Malta operation was bankrupt. It lost €70 million and unless the agreement was reached with the government, the service would have been stopped, jobs would have been lost and the buses could not be used.
Mr Mizzi referred to Opposition remarks and said there were in the past 297 cases of smoke and fires on the buses but this year there were only 100 of which only seven were fires.
He said his visit to Spain for talks with Autobuses de Leon were meant to verify what the bidder was claiming and this did not amount to a breach of the conditions in the call for expressions of interest.
He insisted that all the routes listed in the call for expressions of interests would be introduced.
Earlier in his address, Mr Mizzi said the Opposition could hardly criticise the government about transport since the PN’s own report on the reasons for its electoral defeat pointed to problems in traffic and public transport.
The present government had taken on projects which were long delayed by the former government such as the Cirkewwa Terminal, the Coast Road, December 13 road, the flood relief project, the Cospicua seafront rehabilitation project, the Crafts Village and the Carnival Village.
In some cases, projects had to be rushed in order not to lose EU funds.
The above projects were handled along with many other works including the rehabilitation of promenades, cleaning of valleys and restoration of historic sites.
Projects next year would include the provision of parking from Marsaxmett to the Barrakka in Valletta, restoration and rehabilitation of the area around the Tritons Fountain and Castille Place and pedestrian access into the City would be improved through the use of existing tunnels.
Cathedral Square in Mdina would be repaved and Wignacourt Tower would be restored.
NEW PARLIAMENT
Mr Mizzi said the government found confusion in the new Parliament project. The project was late and over-budget. The contractors even missed their own time-frames. He said the current problems including the lack of space in the Chamber of Parliament stemmed from the wrong plans drawn up under the former government and which would remain a monument to its incompetence.
OIL EXPLORATION
On oil exploration, Mr Mizzi said no drilling was made in 10 years under the former government. One well was tried but closed under this government.
An Oil and Gas Corporation would be set up to promote this sector and encourage the drilling of more exploratory oil wells, including joint exploration with other countries.
DISCOVERIES DELAY COAST ROAD PROJECT
Mr Mizzi said the discovery of historic remains had delayed the Coast Road project. The government wanted the project to go ahead as quickly as possible, but it would not be irresponsible.
A particular focus next year would be on the building of the new Kappara Junction, a project promised years ago. €3m would be spent to improve surrounding roads. Care full be taken not to have a clash with the Coast Road works.
Preparations would also continue on a new Marsa junction, which was sorely needed. This, Mr Mizzi said, had nothing to do with facilitating matters for the Super One offices in Marsa.
Tenders would be issued next year for the building of a pedestrian bridge over Mriehel bypass.
There would also be changes next year to simply procedures for taxi operators, and taxi drivers would be required to wear a uniform.