Experts have called for an integration of Maltese and Sicilian local transport networks and for better links between the two islands to take advantage of their unique geographical position.

Industry stakeholders and transport experts met yesterday to kick off two days of debate on the Italian-Maltese platform for the Streets Project, which aims to create an integrated strategy for sustainable transport in Italy and Malta.

The project is expected to end in March 2015 when findings and recommendations will be presented to the EU in support of the Trans-European Transport Network (Ten-T).

Giuseppe Salvo, a professor at the University of Palermo, said that, despite the economic crisis, the demand for transport in Malta and Sicily had continued to increase.

The platform was examining the movement of goods and passengers between and within Malta and Sicily through different modes of transport with a view to increasing the accessibility and efficiency of existing links and to identify potential new ones.

He pointed to the need for an approach that did not view airports or ports as final destinations but as nodes, requiring full integration with other systems to reduce travel costs and times.

Architect Giacomo Monteleone said an important aspect of the project was that it should continue to give results even after its conclusion.

He envisioned the creation of a permanent joint body between Malta and Sicily with a strategy and plan of action.

Highlighting another aspect of the project, Maria Govè, a geographic information system (GIS) expert at Transport Malta, said the development of such a system would help identify problems and opportunities in the system transport.