A recent study carried out by Prof. Adrian Muscat and Prof. Maria Attard in collaboration with Project Aegle clearly shows a correlation between the level of academic activity at the University of Malta and the delay experienced by drivers on Triq Dun Karm, also known as the Birkirkara bypass, during rush hours. The study was based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data, from which the delay on Triq Dun Karm was computed, and on traffic data collected on the University premises.

Traffic to University is characterised by prolonged periods of low, medium and high counts which correlate to seasonal varia­tion in the delay experienced on Triq Dun Karm. From the data it was conservatively estimated that if 40 to 50 per cent of University students and employees take up shared transport, the delay on the road would be reduced by 20 to 30 per cent, depending on the type of transport provided.

“Looking at these numbers confirms studies we have conducted already earlier this year. It is all about thinking about alternatives to a single occupied vehicle. The key is that we change our mind-set and are prepared to try out new ways of mobility,” said Nicoletta Moss, project manager at Project Aegle.

These results justify the provision of an agile personalised transport system that would provide services to and from University and nearby businesses to towns along the corridor to the west of the university. A 2016 study by the two University of Malta academics, entitled ‘Shared Demand Responsive Transport Service for the University of Malta’, supported by the Vodafone Malta Foundation, had demonstrated the feasibility of an online automated flexible demand res­ponsive transport system to ser­vice the University community along the western corridor.

The implementation of such a system would result in mitigating congestion on Triq Dun Karm, reduce noise and improve air quality. Needless to say, the same concept may be applicable to commuters in adjacent large-scale activities around the Tal-Qroqq, Mater Dei, Swatar and San Ġwann industrial area or along other corridors in the island’s urban areas.

Project Aegle Foundation was launched in 2016 as a non-profit initiative with a simple but powerful mission: to advance the quality of life in Malta through improved mobility. Today, Malta faces a great challenge in the form of traffic congestion and parking problems. These cause economic losses in the hundreds of millions, as well as a range of preventable health problems.

Set up by the Debono Group, the projects brings together a mix of collaborators hailing from academia, business and civil society at large. Project Aegle believes that solid research, education, innovative technologies and ideas are the way forward.

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