The so-called 'tidal system' for the allocation of traffic lanes is set to be introduced as an experiment to ease traffic congestion, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said in parliament last night.

The system means that lanes would be allocated according to the direction where traffic is heaviest. A four-lane road could, for example, have three lanes allocated for south-bound traffic in the morning, and the reverse in the evening when traffic is heaviest.

Dr Muscat said difficult choices for traffic solutions would need to be made in the future. Various alternatives would be presented in the Budget and a public consultation process about them would be launched immediately.

He made his comments as the House held a debate on transport, requested by the Opposition even though Transport Minister Joe Mizzi is abroad on government business.

The Opposition presented the motion for  debate earlier in the afternoon. The subject then cropped up during question time when the two sides agreed to hold the debate immediately.

The debate was opened by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici who said people were let down last Friday when they were stuck in traffic.

The government acknowledged that there was a transport problem. This was a problem which the people were feeling, although this was not a problem which started recently.

The problem had been creeping up on the country but there had been a lack of foresight to tackle it. 

Bus service has improved- Minister

The former government made a mess of its reform of the bus service and the present government lost a lot of energy to clean up this mess. The present service was better (Opposition boos) than the mess left by former minister Austin Gatt. Of course, a lot remained to be done.

Dr Bonnici said that during Notte Bianca last Saturday an effort was made to encourage use of alternative transport. He was pleased that the harbour ferries were kept busy in Grand Harbour and Marsaxlokk.

Dr Bonnici said the people rightly expected solutions to traffic issues and they expected MPs to pull the same rope to provide solutions.  

The government was working on projects to ease congestion, with the two main projects earmarked for the near future being the junctions in Marsa and Kappara. Despite presenting its motion, the Opposition made no proposals on how to tackle the transport problem.

Shadow Minister for Transport Marthese Portelli said a holistic plan was needed for long term solutions to road congestion. Decision-makers needed to think out of the box.

The current situation was seeing people waste time and fuel stuck in traffic. Manhours were being lost, competitiveness was being undermined, and the air was being polluted, leading to health problems. 

Dr Portelli said that claims that the bus service was now better than in the past showed insensitivity. The people could see how timetables were not being followed, the bus cards system still had problems, and the bus drivers themselves were suffering poor working conditions.

As for the lack of proposals, the Opposition leader last year proposed free school transport for all children, so that fewer parents would drive their children to school.

A proper traffic management plan is needed- Shadow Minister Marthese Portelli

Other suggestions, she said, would include measures to encourage teleworking and the use of bicycles and pedelecs. Taxi services could be made more efficient and affordable.

There was also need for better coordination of road works not to clog up traffic.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the traffic problem was high on the government's agenda. The problem would continue to grow if it was not tackled. The former government did build some roads, but more could have been done.

The government was building more roads and roads which were wider, even though some felt that better roads and more parking would encourage more car use.  

A problem which needed to be tackled was project management. Some timetable slippages were unacceptable, Dr Muscat said. Another problem was how contractors bid for projects without having enough capacity to handle them.

Invariably infrastructural projects caused inconvenience until they were completed. That was why projects had to be staggered. The Coast Road would be followed by the Kappara and Marsa junction projects. Unfortunately however, the relief road through the Marsa shipyard would soon have to be closed because of the maritime hub project there.

Instead, an experiment known as the 'tidal system' would be started whereby more lanes would be opened in one direction, and then the other, according to the demands of traffic. A road could thus have three lanes south and one lane north in the morning, and the reverse in the afternoon.

The government also wanted to see more efficient ferry systems across the harbours and possibly also from other coastal destinations.

Government eyes underground road system- Muscat

Transport Malta was also introducing a Smart Management System. Consideration was being given to a possible metro or mono-rail. But everything came at a cost.

Some were suggesting a parallel underground road system. The proposal was being studied.

Dr Muscat said the bus service was a 'works in progress'. He was receiving negative and positive feedback. The aim was to achieve frequency and punctuality.

Another area being studied was transport to schools and factories. A rebate for parents of church and independent schoolchildren who use school transport was introduced last year but one had to see how effective it was so far and whether it had all been substantially absorbed by the operators.

Dr Muscat said 40 more cars were being put on the roads every day. Singapore was of similar size to Malta, but there a car was considered a luxury and there were restrictions on car purchases. 

Some were saying small motorbikes should be unlicensed. Through that could help, what about the safety aspect?

Difficult choices may need to be made and in the Budget next week the government would make proposals and launch a consultation process about them. 

Other speakers included Education Minister Evarist Bartolo who insisted that children would not be woken early to ease traffic congestion.

He said a proposal the government was considering was to itself provide organised transport for pupils in independent and church schools. One needed to see if parents wanted such a system and how, and consultation would be held.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil also highlighted the problems of road congestion. He said Labour promised a roadmap but it had jammed traffic. After two years when matters got worse, the prime minister had now made proposals, some of which were interesting. This was a government now considering an underground road network after failing to start and complete one new road on land.  

Dr Busuttil hit out at the government's proposal which would have seen schoolchildren being woken up early to ease traffic problems. He was pleased that Mr Bartolo was now ditching the proposal, but he could not deny that it had been made by the government.

Dr Busuttil said a PN working group had been set up to come up with forward-looking proposals to solve the transport problems.

Other speakers included Parliamentary Secretary Jose' Herrera who suggested a traffic task force between the two sides of the House. 

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