Fiscal measures to restrict private car use have to be considered in any plan for better traffic management, according to a German traffic expert.
Manfred Boltze from Darmstadt University of Technology yesterday insisted that while improving road infrastructure was important, it could not solve traffic problems.
He also cautioned that to gain wider acceptance, restrictive measures had to lead to tangible improvements in the environment and travel efficiency.
Prof. Boltze was the keynote speaker at a conference on traffic management organised by the Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry in Valletta.
Alternative transport has to be cheaper and offer shorter travel times to make people leave their cars at home, he added.
However, he acknowledged the difficulty of such an approach as politicians dithered over using taxation to control congestion.
“Increasing acceptance of restrictive measures is not easy because politicians fear the backlash of voters but former London mayor Ken Livingston was elected on a pledge to cut congestion in the city and was re-elected after introducing a congestion tax,” Prof. Boltze said.
Widening theroads is not a long-term solution
His observation was picked up by economist Lino Briguglio, who insisted the Valletta CVA system – Malta’s equivalent of the congestion tax –should be tweaked and extended beyond the capital.
“This should not be used to raise revenue but to cut air pollution and alleviate traffic congestion in key areas,” he said.
Prof. Briguglio noted public transport’ biggest problem was the lack of punctuality, which made it unattractive for commuters.
The economist, who used the bus to go to Valletta, had the audience of businessmen smiling when he ended his short speech hoping that he would arrive in time for dinner in Sliema.
“I came by bus but I had to leave an hour early to make sure I got here in time,” Prof. Briguglio said.
Proper land use management was another factor to manage traffic flows, according to Prof. Boltze. He said placing supermarkets closer to public transport nodes rather than the outskirts of towns was one way of encouraging people not to use their car.
David Sutton, from regulator Transport Malta, said that Maltese society was increasingly becoming “car-dependent”.
Widening the roads was not a long-term solution since road planners faced physical and environmental constraints when trying to address bottlenecks and designing junctions, Mr Sutton said.
He noted that Transport Malta was developing a national transport strategy to address congestion over the next three decades.
Some infrastructural solutions were forthcoming from AX Holdings chairman Angelo Xuereb, who has over the years volunteered several projects for public consumption.
Mr Xuereb yesterday reiterated the need for an underground monorail system around the harbour areas that would integrate with the public transport system.
He also proposed constructing a bypass outside Iklin that would connect the Birkirkara bypass with the Mosta bypass near the Technopark.
This road, he said, would alleviate traffic congestion at the Lija cemetery junction where five roads met, creating chaos.
Mr Xuereb highlighted another proposal he made five years ago to build a car park by excavating the Floriana football pitch to sea level, providing access from the Sa Maison area in Pietá through a short tunnel.
The football facilities could be re-built at street level, he added.
A member in the audience said morning traffic worsened because private and Church schools transport became pricier since more expensive minivans were being used instead of coaches.
This, he said, was a result of coaches being subcontracted for use in the public transport system.