We all complain about traffic, congestion and the pollution they cause on our roads and have been doing so for many years.

It is in our culture to complain about anything. A case in point is the inclement weather over the Carnival period, but then we get cold feet when it comes to implementing change.

Which brings me to the point I would like to put across. One of the main reasons for traffic congestion is the exaggerated number of cars on our roads, which stems from years of a failing and inefficient public transport system.

From the yellow bus owners to Arriva and now to the Spanish lions, public transport has never managed to excel and commuters have lost confidence in the system. One reason is that buses were/are rarely on time.

So the introduction of bus lanes should have been met with positivity and not with total negativity. Whether bus lanes are the solution and whether our roads can take them or not needs to be seen, but can we at least give the concept a chance before we dismiss them completely and reach totally unscientific conclusions.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not pushing an argument in favour or against bus lanes. All I’m saying is let’s be open to change and experimentation and let’s give them a chance to work.

Anything that helps contribute to the amelioration of our traffic congestion and to reduce those 52 or so hours we waste in traffic every year, according to a study by the University of Malta, should be welcomed with open arms.

Obviously, the introduction of bus lanes alone is not enough but will help us regain confidence in the public transport system. This will hopefully lead to a situation were commuters leave their personal cars in their garages and commute daily to and from work by bus.

For every two full buses, you can get 78 vehicles off our roads, hence less traffic, less congestion, less pollution. Hurray hurray! If only it was that simple though.

There are also many other uses and solutions for bus lanes. Besides scheduled buses, priority bus lanes can be used by bicycles, emergency service vehicles, police vehicles, non-scheduled buses such as school vans and heavy vehicles.

Other options could and should be taken into consideration, such as automated transit signal priority techniques that typically involve optimising signal timings or co-ordinating successive signals to create a green wave for traffic along the bus lane. Green extension technique is used to extend the green interval by up to a preset maximum value if a scheduled bus is approaching, and many more systems.

As to the Gzira seafront dedicated bus lane and all other bus lanes, only time will tell. Let’s hope they work and be another loop in the chain promoting a change in culture and mentality. We need to start using public transport more.

motoring@timesofmalta.com