Traffiku: aktar toroq joħolqu aktar traffiku u tniġġis.

Waqt konferenza tal-aħbarijiet fil-Marsa Mario Mallia, kelliem ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika dwar l-edukazzjoni, u Ralph Cassar, kelliem dwar l-enerġija, l-infrastruttura u t-trasport ikkummentaw dwar il-White Paper ‘School Opening Hours and Traffic Congestion’, filwaqt li ppreżentaw sensiela ta’ proposti ta’ AD dwar it-trasport.

Mario Mallia qal:”L-impostazzjoni tal-argument sa minn meta tlissen fil-bagit tal-2014, huwa żbaljat minn għeruqu.  It-tfal huma l-ikbar vittmi ta’ problema kronika tat-traffiku f’Malta mhux il-kawża. Għaldaqstant, referenza ghal possibblita` li jinfethu l-iskejjel iktar kmieni biex tittaffa l-problema ma taghmel xejn ħlief titfa’ l-melħ fuq il-ferita, ċioe` li it-tfal inġiegħluhom iġorru l-piż tal-problemi tat-traffiku li għandna.  It-tfal m’għandhomx ikunu l-qaddejja tas-sistema ekonomika u soċjali, iżda minflok is-sistemi ekonomiċi u soċjaligħandhom jinbidlu biex jaqdu lit-tfal.”

Kompla billi qal li it-tfal diġa` qed jiġu mġielgħa jaslu kmieni l-iskola.  Parti mir-raġuni għal dan huwa l-fatt li in-numru ta’ liċenzji ta’ minibuses huwa limitat wisq bil-konsegwenza li ftit vannijiet ikollhom jagħmlu ħafna vjaġġi filgħodu qabel ma jibdew l-iskejjel.  Qal li hemm bżonn sistema ċentralizzata ta’ trasport lejn l-iskejjel li taqdi lokalitajiet iktar milli skejjel individwali. Dan għandu jgħin biex ikun hemm iktar razzjonalizzazjoni fl-użu tas-servizz li minnu jgawdi kulhadd partikolarment it-tfal. Semma wkoll issues ts’ sigurta u supervizzjoni fuq it-trasport tal-iskejjel.

Ralph Cassar saħaq li Gvern wara ieħor falla milli jiffaċċja l-problema ta’ trasport, li fl-aħħar mill-aħħar hija ukoll problema ta’ saħħa pubblika u ta’ tniġġis qawwi fil-lokalitajiet b’konġestjoni kbira ta’ traffiku. “L-impatt ħażin tat-traffiku u l-effetti ħżiena fuq il-komunitajiet ta’ ċerti żoni bħall-iMsida, l-Marsa, l-Ħamrun, l-Fgura u postijiet oħra huw ovvju.”

“Dan kollu wasalna għalih minħabba nuqqas ta’ ppjanar fit-tul kif ukoll l-idea ta’ dawk li suppost mexxew dan il-qasam. Għalihom s-soluzzjonijiet kienu (u għadhom), il-bini ta’ toroq ġodda u ż-żieda ta’ parkeġġi f’żoni mimlija bit-traffiku. L-effetti kienu fil-fatt l-oppost ta’ dak ippjanat: aktar u aktar traffiku.”

“Deċiżjonijiet oħra li komplew iżidu l-problema huma t-tneħħija tal-vened tat-trasport pubbliku, u l- attitudni negattiva lejn mezzi alternattivi ta’ trasport bħar-roti elettriċi bid-dħul per eżempju tal-bżonn ta’ reġistrazzjoni, il-permessi ta’ żvilupp lil xi skejjel biex jinbnew f’nofs il-kampanja, żoni industrijali li mhux moqdijin tajjeb mit-trasport pubbliku, b’min jimpjega jippretendi li l-impjegati jaslu x-xogħol bil-karozzi privati tagħhom, u nuqqas ta’ infurzar tar-regoli tal-veloċita’ li ma jgħinx biex iħajjar l-użu tar-roti jew muturi żgħar bħala mezz ta’ trasport.”

“Il-politika dwar it-trasport għadha qed tinkiteb mill-viżjoni ta’ xi ħadd wara l-isteering wheel. L-idea ġenerali għadha li l-prijorita’ għandha tkun li kulħadd, f’kull ħin u f’kull mument għandu jkun jista’ jsuq ‘l fejn irid, meta jrid, kif irid u malajr kemm jista’ jkun, bl-ebda konsiderazzjoni oħra bħal piżijiet fuq is-soċjeta’ f’termini ta’ saħħa, tniġġis, u l-kwalita’ tal-ħajja.”

“Għaldaqstant, dan il-kontribut ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika, jinkludi proposti kemm relatati mal-iskejjel iżda wkoll dwar il-mobilita’ sostenibbli in ġenerali. Huwa biss b’politika olistika u b’miri ċari li nistgħu naraw titjib fil-mobilita’ sostenibbli. Diversi proposti ilhom isiru minn Alternattiva Demokratika, permezz ta’ artikli mill-esponenti ewlenin tal-partit u fil-programmi elettorali tagħha tul is-snin, fost oħrajn. Proposti oħra, li Gvern wara ieħor injora, saru fl-istrateġija nazzjonali dwar l-iżvilupp sostenibbli ( ‘A sustainable development strategy for the Maltese islands 2007-2016’) li ilha lesta u qegħda fuq l-ixkaffa tiġbor it-trab.”

(Rapport bil-proposti ta’ AD: Trasport_AD)

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Traffic: more roads mean more traffic and more pollution.

During a press conference in Marsa AD spokesperson in education Mario Mallia, and AD spokesperson on energy, infrastructure and transport Ralph Cassar spoke about the White Paper ‘School Opening Hours and Traffic Congestion’, and made various concrete proposals on transport.

Mario Mallia said:”The argument about schools and transport, which started with the 2014 budget speech, is totally out of order. It is children who are the victims of the chronic traffic problem and not the cause. Any reference to schools opening earlier is misguided. Children should not serve the economic and social systems which lead to the traffic problem, it is the economic and social system which should change to serve children.”

Mario Mallia said that school children are already arriving at school very early. One reason is the limited number of minibus licences, with minibus operators cramming as many voyages as possible in the early hours of the morning before schools open.  He called for a central school transport system, based on localities rather than individual schools. Issues of safety and supervision on school transport also needs to be tackled.

Ralph Cassar insisted that one Government after another failed to tackle the transport issue holistically. He said that above everything else, the issue of trasnport is a public health issue and serious air pollution in certain localities. “The serious impact of traffic on the health of the communities in congested localities such as Msida, Ħamrun, Marsa and Fgura, amongst others is obvious.”

“Long term planning is completely absent and some policy measures have actually led to more traffic. The construction of new roads and of car parks in the middle of towns which are already congested lead to even more congestion and pollution”, he said.

“Other short sighted decisions which exacerbated the problem are the discontinuation of bus stations in localities, the negative attitude towards alternative means of transport such as pedelecs, which now have to be registered, the building of schools bang in the middle of the countryside, industrial zones which are not well served by public transport with employees expected to use their private car to get to work, and the lack of enforcement on speeding in our roads, which scare people like bicycle commuters and small motorcycles off the roads.”

“Transport policy is still being written through the vision of somoeone behind a steering wheel. They think that the top priority should be to be able to drive wherever we want, whenever we want and as fast as we can, with no impediment, and with no consideration of the burdens on society as a whole in terms of pollution, public health and the quality of life.”

“Our proposals go beyond schools and promote sustainable mobility. It is only through a holistic plan that the issue of traffic congestion can be tackled effectively. AD has been making proposals for ages, through its spokespersons and officials, in its electoral manifestos and in various fora. There are also proposals in the strategy: ‘A sustainable development strategy for the Maltese islands 2007-2016’, which although commissioned by the State, has been totally ignored and forgotten.”

(Document with AD’s proposals: Trasport_AD)