James Piscopo, Chairman & CEO of Transport Malta
School start reignites the fiery debate about traffic congestion. Every year during September and October, traffic patterns change abruptly. There are various known factors of what contributes to this (it is not school alone) but we can calculate that around 130,000 trips are made every day during the morning peak hour alone, 73 per cent by private car.
Today’s realities find their roots in the failed transport policies of the past. The lack of managing vehicle demand fuelled a culture of over-reliance on cars. Compounded by a significant under-investment in infrastructure (the last in road network capacity was the Sta Venera tunnels, 20 years ago!), the unwillingness to tackle public transport for far too long (Arriva is as recent as 2011) and the investment in alternative transport solutions, yielded perfect congestion mayhem.
We are facing a defining moment in transport policy that we need to get fundamentally right. The quick catapulting of transport into partisan political debate will undoubtedly put pressures in search of half-baked measures or immediate miracles. To the contrary, we should take transport policy to the next level, and avoid weak decision-making dictated by variables which do not fit into a proper plan. The reality is simple: unless a sudden, dramatic decrease in car use is registered or an immediate material increase in network capacity is achieved, congestion will remain.
Deterrents need to be stricter to kick-start a positive culture change
For the past two years, Transport Malta and Jaspers have been developing a National Transport Plan. It is a holistic analysis of the current situation, while identifying measures that would determine established targets and future outcomes. Presently, an SEA is being held, following a public consultation that ended in July. Once ready, the plan will be forwarded to the European Commission for evaluation. This is a step ahead. Malta never had a holistic transport plan before this.
Fixing public transport was a top priority following its collapse three years ago. Last year, following a major reform, buses carried over 42 million passengers compared to 34 million in 2012. We will keep investing in the system, with various measures identified in the National Transport Plan such as having quality corridors aimed at improving the reliability and punctuality on busy corridors.
The road network capacity is being upgraded. The Kappara Junction is under way. Traffic management was well planned, and once ready, a major bottleneck would be eliminated. The Marsa junction is also in advanced planning stage. This is needed for quicker connectivity from the south. We kept investing in the strategic network, asphalting kilometres. However it is clear capital funding needs to be significantly increased otherwise the infrastructure will not keep up. For the first time, we are investing in ITMS, deploying smart traffic lights connected to a main traffic control centre and VMS screens, displaying messages to motorists for better journey planning. The experience is new and a learning curve for both the authority and the road user, yet we remain confident this is another important tool in reducing journey times and congestion.
Finally, education and enforcement remain critical. Transport Malta and the Malta Road Safety Council have recently launched a campaign calling for drivers to show and earn respect on the road. The campaign is tackling mobile usage while driving, and messages aimed at improving road ethics and driver behaviour are being sent. Enforcement is being stepped up. The presence of more police and enforcement officers in critical junctions during morning rush hour is a step in the right direction, to help traffic flow and to unblock main thoroughfares. Legislation, in particular related to drink driving, is being looked into while the wider deployment of the Demerit Point System is being evaluated. Deterrents need to be stricter to kick-start a positive culture change.
We have set good foundations. Our aim remains to reduce people’s journey times, safely. We aim to have less cars polluting our air. We want to motivate healthier commuting. We aim to develop safe roads through investment in surface and technology. We believe in the continuous investment in public transport and look forward to exploring innovative ways of transporting masses quicker. This is what we will continue working on.
Marthese Portelli, Shadow Minister for Transport
If we want to challenge these issues effectively, a new mentality is required and this new mentality must start from politicians and policymakers.
A collective effort, a common sense of purpose and a change of habits and systems are required. A balance between the needs of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, freight operators, buses, private vehicles as well as commercial vehicles must be achieved.
First and foremost all policy decisions should be based on sound information and knowledge about people’s behaviour and needs. We must keep in mind that the commuter is not the problem but the point of the service. The commuter is an integral part of the solution and policymakers must work hard to trigger a change in commuter attitude – this is what ultimately leads to better driving, more discipline and more tolerance on our roads, thereby minimising traffic congestions caused by collisions, irresponsible parking, road rage and lack of tolerance and respect for other drivers.
Secondly, it is important to coordinate properly the rolling out and implementation of policy decisions. At the moment mobility is operating in a fragmented environment based primarily on isolated initiatives that do not always synergise with one another. Single actions cannot be effective on their own, but a range of policy decisions, if properly coordinated, implemented and enforced, can have an appreciable positive effect in the immediate future.
Better traffic management can happen if we put our minds to it
Earlier this year, the Nationalist Party published a public consultation document in which we put forward four sets of proposals highlighting 35 actions.
The first set of proposals focused on information, knowledge, education and enforcement. In this section we also highlighted the importance of having available at hand, correct and updated information on commuter destinations and points of departure, number of travellers, time and frequency, specific group movements, vehicular movements and commuter flow and an understanding of freight and goods movements. This is fundamental when it comes to establishing transport requirements, existing bottlenecks and problems, as well as the shortcomings.
The second set of proposals targets commuter segments and provides ideas for new modes of transport. We included free publicly-funded school transport for all schools; dedicated transport routes to and from centres of concentration such as the university, MCAST, popular markets etc; dedicated transport from strategic locations for public administration employees; incentives for shared transport initiatives; a voluntary opt-in scheme whereby car owners may choose to use their private car only on selected days and during particular times; incentives to encourage companies to opt out from using heavy vehicles and long vehicles on the roads at peak times; better coordination of waste collection times while ensuring that appropriate garbage disposal policies and structures are in place, among others.
The third set of proposals focuses on infrastructural investment and minor upgrades such as the importance of revisiting the size and shape of current roundabouts and centre strips, road markings, road signs etc; reprogramming the current traffic light systems; the introduction of soft-node bicycle and walking lanes, intermodal systems such as bus-to-bike-to-walk transfer and car-to-go as well as better use of our water ways.
The fourth set of proposals is about better planning and management approaches and includes better managed roadworks, the decentralisation of public and private services and the better use of both human resources and information technology.
The transformation that Malta and Gozo need can only be achieved with the right attitude, a determined drive for systemic change, a passion for innovation, a holistic approach and a sincere collaboration across the board by all stakeholders.
It is good to note that the government will be deploying more traffic police during peak hours once school starts, one of the ideas amid our list of 35 actions published earlier this year. However, I would not think that this initiative on its own would suffice. I urge government to give these issues the urgency they merit. Better traffic management and road discipline can happen if we put our minds to it.