A ferry service to carry commuters from the south of Malta to Valletta is being considered by the government, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

Giving an overview of the measures being considered to reduce traffic, Dr Muscat said that a regular sea shuttle to Valletta as well as an improved service across Marsamxett Harbour to Sliema could contribute significantly to alleviating the acute traffic problem.

“Obviously this would have to work hand-in-hand with better access from the harbour to the centre of Valletta,” he said.

Asked if a major new underground system was being considered, Dr Muscat said: “Of course, all options are being looked at very seriously”.

The traffic situation has dominated the national headlines since students returned to school and university.

Transport Minister Joe Mizzi has come under heavy criticism with the Nationalist Party branding him “incompetent”. Dr Muscat stood by him, saying it was the Opposition he had no faith in.

Dr Muscat said the government had long been looking into the introduction of a smart traffic management system.

Such a system, he said, would see cameras set up across the island to monitor traffic flows.

These would then send radio messages to motorists informing them of the best routes to take.

It would also allow the police to set up quicker diversions.

Earlier this month, Mr Mizzi said a “tidal system” for lanes was set to be introduced.

The system would see lanes allocated according to the direction in which traffic was 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 at rush hour.

Dr Muscat said this would have a major impact on the traffic situation on the island and was needed in areas like Marsa.

Budget implementation: less is more

Around 70 per cent of the Budget measures announced last year have been implemented, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said yesterday.

This is 10 per cent less than what was implemented in the previous Budget, but Dr Muscat said 60 more measures were announced last year.

“We have actually implemented more individual measures,” he said.

We are fixing our economic roof

Dr Muscat added that this year’s Budget was being presented around a month earlier than the last one, which meant the government actually had a shorter window within which to implement the measures.

A further 15 per cent of the last Budget is expected to be implemented by the end of this year.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said the Budget deficit had been decreased by a further €69 million and the deficit was on track to reach a low of 1.6 per cent of GDP.

Weighing in on this “achievement”, Dr Muscat said it had been done without any increases in income tax, VAT or other major streams of taxation.

While other countries had resorted to austerity measures to reduce deficits, the government had managed to do so through “responsible financial management”, Dr Muscat said.

He added that the government would be using this period of economic stability to address major issues such as pension reform and health.

“You fix the roof while the sun shines. That’s what we’re doing. We are fixing our economic roof,” Dr Muscat said.

A plan for St George’s Bay regeneration

The new St George’s Bay Regeneration Corporation will facilitate at least three major projects in order to avoid the area becoming “a permanent construction site”, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday.

The corporation will liaise between the major projects including the construction of a six-star hotel, he added.

“Can you imagine the traffic situation, not to mention the general mess? We cannot allow a major tourist zone to be so disrupted,” he said.

Among the major construction projects set to begin in the area are a new six-star hotel complete with commercial centre, and a number of large residential building projects.

Dr Muscat said the corporation would help manage the use of barges to remove building debris from the construction sites and also stagger works.

He was addressing a press conference on tomorrow’s Budget, and said the government would be focusing on bringing the island’s infrastructure up to EU standards.

“We cannot expect to have around two million tourists visit the island next year, most of whom would visit the same areas, and not to improve our infrastructural management,” Dr Muscat said.

He said that at present the same infrastructural management was being used for tourist hotspots as the rest of the island.

This meant that quiet Maltese villages were being cleaned at the same rate as busy urban areas.