In the run up to celebrating its status as European Capital of Culture, Valletta is experiencing an exciting regeneration. Public monuments have been restored, new residents are renovating vacant buildings, and private investment is ensuring the capital is an attractive cultural and entertainment destination. After years of neglect, this is a breath of fresh air for the capital.

And, yet, it is not because, according to a recent Eurostat study, Valletta ranks low in air quality and noise levels. Out of 28 European capitals, it placed a lowly 23rd, with only 35 per cent of respondents saying they were satisfied with the capital’s air quality. As for noise levels, fewer than half of respondents – 45 per cent – said these were acceptable.

Cars are the main issue affecting the quality of the environment in the capital. As car ownership and use increased over the past decades, the knee-jerk reaction to the pressure caused by additional traffic demand has always been to increase the level of road space supply. Various studies have shown that this traditional approach actually creates a vicious circle: more road space leads to higher car ownership and use. This, in turn, further affects the quality of the environment and life.

Valletta has not been spared. While the few pedestrianised areas have mitigated traffic issues and given areas of the capital back to the people, other initiatives, such as the residents’ parking scheme and controlled vehicular access, have hardly affected traffic congestion.

One way forward is to pedestrianise more streets in Valletta while providing and supporting alternative modes of transport, such as cycling and walking. The short-term disadvantage to this is the perceived inconvenience of making the capital less accessible to cars. However, the long-term advantages are many, as various case studies show.

Copenhagen started a pedestrianisation process way back in 1962 when the city centre was open to traffic and squares were used as car parks. Although unpopular at first, the pedestrianisation of the Danish capital was soon endorsed by residents and visitors alike.

The same thing happened in Nuremberg, in Germany, which has been gradually pedestrianised since the early 1970s. The city’s pedestrianisation plans were met with predictions that this would result in traffic chaos and a drop in visitor numbers. In reality, pedestrianisation had the opposite effect.

Another successful pedestrianisation took place in Strasbourg, France. A policy to remove cars from the city to make way for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians began in 1992. The result is a city that is in control of its centre, offering a better quality of life to residents and visitors.

Valletta deserves a better urban environment that is easily accessible while ensuring that it is mainly a city for people and not for cars. This is endorsed in the newly-launched ‘A strategy for Valletta’ public consultation process, which proposes to update the transport strategy plan of 2004, prepare a sustainable urban mobility plan for the capital and develop a transport strategy that is based on optimised public transport, improved management of vehicular access and eco friendly transportation methods.

The capital was built as a modern city. Today, it should be modern in outlook and embrace initiatives that give the city back to the people. Fewer cars and better traffic management will result in a better quality environment, attractive public spaces, an incentive for healthier economic vitality and a more liveable city.