Politicians from the other parties want more roads to be widened and want to fill every metre of our country with cars. Transport is discussed only superficially: we only hear about parking issues and frequent bragging about newly surfaced roads. It is a fact that government agencies such as Transport Malta and Infrastructure Malta ended up practically acting as car marketing agents, instead of seeing how to reduce dependence on cars. This is because their political masters take the easy way out so as not to annoy anybody, they are not able to lead and explain to people how important sustainable mobility is! Even the so-called Project Green, a propaganda agency for a Labour candidate, ended up as a carpark developer, lest some are annoyed by proper urban public open spaces, increasing pollution, congestion and respiratory diseases in the process. They have no idea what they are doing!
This was the main message that spokespersons from ADPD – The Green Party addressed when they spoke about roads and the lack of serious action on safety, as well as the lack of policy on sustainable transport and people friendly streets, during a press conference on Saturday morning at the site of serious accidents that occurred in recent months in Attard.
Brian Decelis, ADPD – The Green Party PRO said that the roads that Ministers were so proud of, have become racing tracks, with speeds on the Central Link reaching 157 kilometres per hour. “We will say it loud and clear: the sense of carelessness also emanates from the lack of enforcement. Some just assume that they will not be penalised if they drive carelessly. Anyone who exceeds a certain speeds should have their driving license permanently revoked. These people should never drive. They are a danger to others; they are turning a car into a deadly weapon. We must also consider whether a specific crime of homicide by means of a vehicle should be introduced, because whoever drives excessively knows and is aware of the danger they are posing, and is also aware of the devastating effects of an accident. Dangerous driving should be severely punished.”
“As we predicted, wide roads lead to more speed, more deaths, and also more traffic and pollution. These projects are an abuse of European Union funds. These EU funded roads actually go counter to the EU’s own goals regarding the climate and sustainable transport. At the same time with the massive lack of foresight buses are getting stuck in traffic and those who choose clean means of transport – such as bicycles, pedelecs and scooters – are ending up among speeding cars. People are wary of walking in the streets. Instead of seeing how to make alternative means of transport more attractive, politicians from the other parties speak against scooters while ignoring the pandemic of cars that are congesting our roads, polluting our air and being driven recklessly and killing people”, concluded Decelis.
Ralph Cassar, ADPD – The Green Party Secretary General said that congestion and reckless driving are the result of an outdated mentality in mobility policy and the lack of space and priority on the roads for public transport and for clean and sustainable means of transport. “Successive governments have promised voters the indiscriminate use of the car, random parking everywhere and wherever, and pavements given over for the exclusive use of businesses, which block access to people with the blessing of the authorities. Moreover, the government continues to ignore its own plans, spending hundreds of thousands of Euros in consultancies but then ignoring the resulting reports. This is a waste of money, a waste of European funds and a waste of time.”
“Do you know for example that the government in its strategy on commuting by bicycle and pedelecs has established a target of doubling the number of bicycle trips by 2050? This target is extremely low, and it shows how uncommitted the government is towards a modal shift. Do you know that the government is practically completely ignoring the Transport Master Plan 2025? The government’s plan clearly states that its aim is to reduce the importance and dependence on the car. Moreover, Miriam Dalli, the Minister of the Environment said that the government’s goal is to reduce cars on the roads by 41% of the number of cars in 1990 by 2030. You heard it right. What we still don’t know is what concrete measures will be taken to implement this policy, that will lead to achieving this goal! 2030 is around the corner.”
“The government should start by implementing its own Master Plan which calls for low emission zones in town centres and segregated busways so that public transport becomes more efficient in the most populated areas, among other things. Segregated bus lanes on a larger scale could be developed into a Bus Rapid Transit system – where buses have absolute priority over other traffic. There is also the need to keep cars out of town and village centres, with regional transport services and safe roads for alternative transport such as bicycles and pedelecs. Remember that for each person who uses a bicycle there is one less car on the road. It is also high time that all main routes, the so-called bypasses, have a segregated bicycle lane. If car lanes are narrowed, as apparently is being done in the Mrieħel bypass, the extra space should be given over to alternative transport such as bicycles, pedelecs and scooters and not an additional lane for more cars. That’s the only way we can have roads which are people-friendly instead of roads encouraging more pollution and speed that kills!” Cassar concluded.
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Toroq perikolużi, sewqan eċċessiv, riċetta għat-traġedji
Il-politiċi tal-partiti l-oħra jridu li jitwessgħu aktar toroq u jimlew kull rokna ta’ pajjiżna bil-karozzi. It-trasport huwa diskuss biss superfiċjalment u ħlief tgergir fuq il-parkeġġ u ftaħir bit-tarmak ma’ nisimgħux. Filfatt spiċċajna b’aġenziji tal-gvern bħal Transport Malta u Infrastructure Malta li minflok jaraw kif inaqqsu d-dipendenza fuq il-karozzi spiċċaw qishom aġenti tal-karozzi, għax is-sidien politiċi tagħhom jieħdu t-triq il-faċli biex ma jurtaw lil ħadd – mhumiex kapaċi jmexxu u jispjegaw lin-nies kemm hija importanti l-mobilità sostenibbli! Anke ‘l hekk imsejjaħ Project Green – aġenzija ta’ propaganda għal kandidat Laburista – spiċċat tara kif iżżid il-parking u b’hekk iżżid it-tniġġis, il-konġestjoni u l-mard respiratorju. Għax m’għandhomx idea x’inhuma jagħmlu!
Dan kien il-messaġġ ewlieni li kelliema ta’ ADPD – The Green Party indirizzaw meta tkellmu dwar it-toroq u n-nuqqas ta’ azzjoni serja dwar is-sigurtà, kif ukoll dwar in-nuqqas ta’ politika dwar trasport sostenibbli u toroq għan-nies waqt konferenza stampa s-Sibt filgħodu fis-sit ta’ inċidenti serji li seħħew f’dawn l-aħħar xhur f’Ħ’Attard.
Brian Decelis, PRO ta’ ADPD qal li t-toroq li tant ftaħru bihom il-Ministri, saru trakki tat-tlielaq, bil-veloċitajiet per eżempju fis-Central Link jaslu saħansitra sa 157 kilometru fis-siegħa. “Se ngħiduha ċara u tonda. Hawn sens ta’ traskuraġni anke għax l-infurzar huwa fjakk u allura hawn min jaf li mhux se jeħel wisq jekk isuq b’mod traskurat. Min jaqbeż ċertu veloċitajiet għandha tittieħidlu l-liċenzja tas-sewqan b’mod permanenti. Dawn in-nies mhux posthom isuqu. Huma ta’ periklu għal ħaddieħor, qed jirrendu karozza arma qattiela. Irridu niddiskutu wkoll jekk għandux jidħol reat speċifiku ta’ qtil permezz ta’ vettura, għax min isuq b’mod eċċessiv ikun jaf u konxju li qed jagħmel hekk, u konxju wkoll dwar l-effetti devastanti ta’ inċident. Is-sewqan perikoluż għandu jkun kastigat b’mod aħrax.”
“Kif ipprevedejna, toroq wesgħin iwasslu għal aktar veloċità, aktar imwiet, u wkoll aktar traffiku u tniġġis. Dan sar b’ħela ta’ fondi tal-Unjoni Ewropea f’toroq li huma kontra l-miri tal-UE stess dwar il-klima u t-trasport sostenibbli. Fl-istess ħin bin-nuqqas ta’ ħsieb il-karozzi tal-linja qed jibqgħu jeħlu fit-traffiku, min jagħżel mezzi nodfa ta’ trasport – bħal roti, pedelecs u scooters – qed jispiċċa qalb karrozzi misjuqa bl-addoċċ, u n-nies qed tispiċċa tibża’ timxi fit-toroq. Anzi politiċi tal-partiti l-oħra jitkellmu kontra trasport bħal-iscooters u ma jgħidu xejn dwar il-pandemija ta’ karozzi li jimblukkaw it-toroq jew jinstaqu bl-addoċċ u joqtlu n-nies”, temm jgħid Decelis.
Ralph Cassar, Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD – The Green Party qal li l-konġestjoni u s-sewqan bl-addoċċ huma riżultat ta’ mentalità skaduta u n-nuqqas ta’ prijorità fit-toroq għal mezzi pubbliċi ta’ trasport u għat-trasport nadif u sostenibbli. “Gvern wara ieħor wiegħed lin-nies użu indiskriminat tal-karozza, parking bl-addoċċ kullimkien u fejn ġie ġie, bankini mogħtija lin-negozji u imblukkati bil-barka tal-awtoritajiet. Il-biċċa hija li l-gvern qed ikompli jinjora l-pjanijiet tiegħu stess. Jonfoq il-mijiet ta’ eluf f’konsulenzi imma mbagħad jinjora r-rapporti. Dan ħela ta’ flus, ħela ta’ fondi Ewropej u daħq fil-wiċċ.”
“Tafu per eżempju li l-gvern fl-Istrateġija dwar l-ivjaġġar bir-roti u roti elettriċi għamel mira ta’ irduppjar tal-ivjaġġar bir-roti sal-2050? Din il-mira l-ewwelnett hija fjakka immens, u turi kemm il-gvern mhux kommess lejn dak li jissejjaħ modal shift. Tafu li l-gvern qed jinjora prattikament kompletament it-Transport Master Plan 2025? L-istrateġija tal-gvern ċar u tond tgħid li l-għan tiegħu hija li tonqos l-importanza u d-dipendenza fuq il-karozza. Miriam Dalli, l-Ministru tal-Ambjent qalet li l-mira tal-gvern hija li jonqsu l-karozzi fit-toroq b’41% tan-numru tal-karozzi fl-1990 sal-2030. Smajtu sew. Li għadna ma nafux huwa x’miżuri konkreti se jittieħdu biex tiġi implementata dil-politika li twassal biex jintlaħaq dan il-għan!”
“Il-gvern għandu jibda billi jimplimenta l-Master Plan tiegħu stess li jitlob għal low emission zones fil-qalba tal-ibliet u busways segregati biex tal-linja ssir aktar effiċjenti fl-aktar żoni popolati, fost affarijiet oħra. Karreġġjati segregati għal tal-linja fuq skala akbar jistgħu jiġu żviluppati f’sistema ta’ Bus Rapid Transit – fejn il-karozzi tal-linja jkollhom prijorità assoluta fuq traffiku ieħor. Hemm ukoll l-ħtieġa li l-karozzi jinżammu ‘l barra miċ-ċentri tal-ibliet u l-irħula, b’servizzi reġjonali ta’ trasport u toroq sikuri għal trasport alternattiv bħar-roti u roti elettriċi. Ftakru li kull persuna li tuża r-rota tfisser karozza anqas fit-toroq. Wasal iż-żmien ukoll li r-rotot prinċipali jkollhom kollha bicycle lane separata mill-vetturi. Jekk il-karreġġjati tal-karozzi jidjiequ, kif mid-dehra qed isir fil-bypass tal-Imrieħel l-ispazju mirbuħ għandu jingħata lit-trasport alternattiv bħar-roti, roti elettriċi u scooter u mhux lill-karozzi. B’hekk biss nistgħu jkollna toroq għan-nies u mhux għat-tniġġis u għall-veloċità li toqtol!” temm jgħid Cassar.
