ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci and Deputy Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo welcomed the vindication of their party’s long held proposals regarding mass transportation and mobility. 

The National Transport Masterplan 2030 issued for consultation vindicates ADPD-The Green Party’s repeated statements that the most logical solution for mass transport in Malta is a national Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. A BRT system is the most practical, cost-efficient way to deliver high-capacity, high-reliability public transport without the expense and disruption of a metro, which the new National Transport Masterplan rightly discards. Even a cursory look at various studies points to the suitability of a BRT system for Malta. 

A BRT system would provide tram or metro-like efficiency, through reallocation of road space and minimal disruption, through dedicated lanes or carriageways for special high-capacity buses and bus priority at intersections. It is essential that a BRT system is integrated with local transport connections, commuter cycling routes with proper facilities for commuters, park-and-ride on routes to certain high-demand destinations, and integration with other forms of transport.  BRT systems are also well suited to electrified buses and dedicated infrastructure further helps efficiency. BRT systems can contribute to significantly improved road safety with its dedicated lanes which reduce conflicts and lead to better pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure. It also improves accessibility for all commuters. 

Back in the 2000s Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) had repeatedly called for studies for a mass transportation system. In 2007 the government had in fact published a Halcrow Group BRT Feasibility Report, which included suggested routes and black on white said that a BRT system is the most feasible, flexible and cost-effective option for Malta. However this report ended up gathering dust.

Since at least 2018, following successive governments’ repeated failures in sustainable mobility initiatives, the Green Party has reiterated its calls for an integrated mobility system, which included reassigning road space along major routes to a BRT system, including connecting the system to pedestrian, bicycle, and local bus routes and facilities. In the meantime other parties kept on refusing to state clearly that sustainable mobility includes reducing car dependency. They refuse to acknowledge that this means making hard choices and investing in infrastructure which reassigns space to other forms of transport. Instead hundreds of millions of Euros were spent on more roads which led to even more congestion and pollution. Instead, usually before elections, they promised systems which preserve the traffic dominated status quo above ground, involve years and years of tunneling, and cost billions upon billions of Euros in construction but also in running costs. Without a shift in mobility through redesign and reassignment of road space to sustainable modes of transport all efforts and money will be in vain. We are happy that Minister Clyde Caruana seems to share our views on this, as does, it seems Transport Minister Chris Bonnett, now that the Transport Masterplan has abandoned the crazy, white elephant metro project.

We urge the government to revisit the 2007 Halcrow report, stop pouring money down the drain on useless road building and focus on introducing well-connected BRT ‘lines’, together with massive pedestrianisation, local bus services and alternative transport initiatives including national safe bicycle/e-bike routes.

Il-Gvern iħaddan il-proposti ta’ ADPD – The Green Party dwar sistema ta’ BRT

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci u d-Deputat Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo laqgħu b’sodisfazzjon l-aħbar li l-partit spiċċa ngħata raġun rigward il-proposti tiegħu dwar it-trasport tal-massa u l-mobilità, wara ħafna snin.

Sistema ta’ BRT twassal għall-effiċjenza bħal dik ta’ metro jew tramm, billi l-ispazju fit-triq jintuża b’mod aktar maħsub, b’karreġġjati apposta għall-karozzi tal-linja ta’ volum qawwi u billi l-karozzi tal-linja jingħataw prijorita’ fl-intersezzjonijiet. Din is-sistema tista’ tingħaqad ma’ trasport lokali, ma’ rotot maħsubin għar-roti u faċilitajiet xerqin għall-passiġġiera, tingħaqad ma’ ċentri ta’ park-and-ride fuq rotot lejn destinazzjonijiet ewlenin kif ukoll ma’ mezzi oħra ta’ trasport. Sistema ta’ BRT tista’ titħaddem sew b’karozzi tal-linja tal-elettriku filwaqt li infrastruttura apposta tkompli ssaħħaħ l-effiċjenza. Sistema ta’ BRT tista’ twassal għal tnaqqis fl-inċidenti fit-toroq għaliex il-karreġġjati apposta jwasslu għal inqas kunflitti. Twassal ukoll għal infrastruttura aqwa għal nies mexjin fit-triq u għall-użu tar-roti u roti elettriċi. Fl-istess ħin, ittejjeb l-aċċessibilità għal kulħadd.

Fil-bidu tal-elfejnijiet, l-Alternattiva Demokratika (AD) mhux darba jew tnejn sejħet għal tstudju dwar it-trasport tal-massa. Fis-sena 2007, il-Gvern ippubblika rapport ta’ Halcrow Group li filwaqt li fassal rotot apposta, b’mod ċar wera li BRT hu l-aqwa għażla għax joffri flessibilità mingħajr spejjeż esaġerati. Madankollu, dan ir-rapport intesa. 

Sa mill-2018, wara li l-Gvern kemm-il darba ma rnexxilux joħloq sistema ta’ mobilita’ sostenibbli, ADPD – the Green Party ma waqaf qatt isejjaħ għal sistema ta’ mobilita’ integrata. ADPD dejjem saħaq li għandu jkun hemm spazju riservat għall-BRT matul rotot ewlenin. Dejjem saħaq li sistema integrata għandha torbot ma’ faċilitajiet għall-mixi u għall-użu tar-roti, kif ukoll ma’ rotot u faċilitajiet tal-karozzi tal-linja lokali. Fl-istess waqt, partiti oħra dejjem qagħdu lura milli jistqarru li l-mobilita’ sostenibbli u t-tnaqqis tal-użu tal-karozzi privati jimxu id f’id. Qatt ma stqarrew il-ħtieġa ta’ deċiżjonijiet iebsa u l-htieġa li ninvestu f’infrastruttura li toħloq spazju apposta għal mezzi alternattivi  ta’ trasport. Għażlu minflok li jonfqu mijiet ta’ miljuni ta’ ewro għal toroq li jwasslu għal konġestjoni akbar. Wiegħdu sistema li tirrikjedi ħafna snin ta’ tħaffir u li tiswa l-biljuni, mhux biss biex tinbena, imma anke biex iżżommha għaddejja; sistema li ma tnaqqas xejn mid-dominanza tat-traffiku fuq l-art. Għalxejn nonfqu l-flus u noħolqu skemi jekk m’aħniex lesti li nbiddlu d-drawwiet tagħna ta’ kif nivvjaġġaw billi niddedikaw spazju akbar għal mezzi sostenibbli ta’ trasport. ADPD  jinnota b’sodisfazzjon li l-Ministru Clyde Caruana jaħsibha bħalna, bħal ma jaħsibha ukoll il-Ministru tat-Trasport Chris Bonnett, ladarba l-ħsieb bla bażi ta’ metro ma jidhirx fil-Masterplan.

Inħeġġu lill-Gvern sabiex jerġa’ jħares lejn ir-rapport ta’ Halcrow, maħruġ fl-2007 u ma jkomplix jaħli flus fuq toroq ġodda li ma ma joffru ebda titjib. Inħeġġu lill-gvern biex minflok jibda ħidma sabiex joħloq rotot effiċjenti ta’ BRT b’pedestrijanizzazzjoni qawwija, b’servizzi ta’ karozzi tal-linja lokali u inizzjattivi ta’ trasport alternattiv li jinkludu rotot siguri għar-roti u e-bikes.