All the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not make traffic flow freely again. Change the word king to the government and it no longer remains a famous nursery rhyme but a reality that motorists face every day. If the powers-that-be continue to bury their heads in the sand and engage only in rhetoric, it even risks becoming a horror story.
In a fit of panic, the authorities recently decided to call in the ‘troops’ in the form of more policemen on the roads. There is talk of a long-term plan and appeals have been made to go for alternative modes. That, it seems, is the best the authorities can do to address the acute traffic congestion problem. In the meantime, the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate... fast.
As if to underscore the precarious situation and what serious effects road congestions can have on one’s daily life and the economy, we learn that two Air Malta flights were delayed earlier this month because the pilots and cabin crew got stuck in the morning rush hour traffic.
A study by the University of Malta had found that Maltese drivers spent 52 hours – more than two full days – in gridlock traffic every year, an hour unnecessarily added to their commute every week, experiencing about 17 seconds of delay for every kilometre driven. In 2012, that was 280 per cent more than the six seconds spent by drivers in other European countries.
The research put the loss of productivity at €118 million and that, it must be pointed out, was in 2012, when licensed vehicles numbered 314,510, a figure which grew to 352,671 at the end of last June. Taking all factors into consideration, traffic costs the country an extra €274 million, according to the study, which warned that if nothing was done to improve the situation that would rise to €322 million by 2030.
The university research team made three proposals: staggering work and school hours to distribute the traffic more evenly throughout the day and reduce peak hour traffic; cut the existing number of cars on the road and promote car sharing; and alternative transport.
Very little, if any, has been done since. Bar the talk and some solitary project, there do not appear any solid signs of amelioration. Certainly, the Kappara junction project alone will not untie the Gordian knot.
A survey by MaltaToday last Sunday found that traffic concerns have reached a peak with none of the other worries – like corruption, immigration, the cost of living, high-rise, jobs or parking – coming anywhere near.
Soon after the Transport Minister admitted he did not have a magic wand to solve the traffic problems – at least he admitted they do exist, unlike a senior Transport Malta official who said it was a mere perception – his Cabinet colleague responsible for justice launched a White Paper on road safety.
That is, of course, commendable for every life or limb lost on the road is a life and a limb too many, apart from the financial aspect. In fact, the 2012 university study had found that traffic accidents cost the country €84 million in disability benefits and loss of motorists’ productivity.
However, what is needed is a concerted effort for roads to be both safe and efficient, in terms of free flowing traffic. A permanent body should be set up to monitor the situation, get the advice of real experts – not self-declared ‘specialists’ – and take action to solve present problems and plan for the future.