It was announced today that there will be an increase increase in buses and that buses which are no longer fit for service will be replaced. Ralph Cassar, AD Secretary General and spokesperson on infrastructure, industry and transport said: “It’s good to continuously invest in public transport. Public transportation needs spending, unfortunately in the not so distant past, attempts were made to reduce the service to a skeleton service. It is good that this government is spending on public transport. This however is not enough. It is useless to increase buses if government remains increasing road space for private cars. On the one hand we have spending on public transport and on the other a policy of ‘car is king’. To make matters worse the few bus lanes on our roads are being removed.”
“The Central Link is an example of how new roads neither facilitate public transport nor facilitate the uptake of alternative means of transport which reduce the number of cars on the road such as bicycles and pedelecs. With the Central Link the bus service to Rabat, Mtarfa and Dingli, which also serves residents of Attard will be pushed away from residents onto a dangerous major road. “
“While reiterating that an increase in buses and services is good, it is useless if buses get stuck in traffic. I reiterate AD’s proposal for a Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) along main roads. In this system segregated lanes reserved only for buses and priority to public transport at intersections means that buses do not get stuck in traffic. Public transport operators describe BRT as the solution to increase efficiency of the service. Vehicles carrying seventy people or more deserve priority on our roads. A BRT system, a national system of bicycle lanes and other bicycle infrastructure together with massive pedestrianisation of polluted areas are a big part of the solution for traffic. You can double the number of buses but if they all get stuck in traffic nothing really changes. Private cars must be pushed off the roads, while giving road space to sustainable modes of transport and pedestrians.”
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Investiment fit-trasport pubbliku huwa tajjeb iżda l-problema tibqa’ li jeħlu fit-traffiku
Illum tħabbar li se jiżdiedu l-karozzi tal-linja u se jinbidlu karozzi tal-linja li m’għadhomx tajbin għas-servizz tat-trasport pubbliku. Ralph Cassar, Segretarju Ġenerali u kelliem dwar l-infrastruttura, industrija u trasport ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika qal:”Huwa tajjeb li dejjem u kontinwament isir investiment fit-trasport pubbliku. It-trasport pubbliku infieq għandu bżonn u mhux kif ġieli rajna fil-passat mhux ‘il-bogħod tnaqqis fir-rotot biex jiġu iffrankati l-flus. Huwa tajjeb li l-Gvern qed jonfoq fuq it-trasport pubbliku. Iżda dan mhux biżżejjed, għax min-naħa qed isir infieq fuq trasport pubbliku u min-naħa l-oħra qed jsiru toroq li fihom l-ispazju kollu jingħata lill-karozzi privati. Biex tgħaxxaqha l-bus lanes minflok jiżdiedu dejjem jonqsu.”
“Is-Central Link huwa eżempju ta’ kif it-toroq la qed jaġevolaw lil persuni li jagħżlu mezzi alternattivi ta’ trasport bħar-roti u roti elettriċi, u allura jnaqqsu l-karozzi mit-toroq, u lanqas lil min juża t-trasport pubbliku. Bis-Central Link ir-rotot tal-linja tar-Rabat, Ħad-Dingli u Mtarfa li jaqdu wkoll lil ħafna residenti ta’ Ħ’Attard se jitbiegħdu mir-residenti u jintefgħu fuq toroq perikolużi għan-nies.”
“Barra minn hekk filwaqt li żieda fil-karozzi tal-linja u fis-servizz hija xi ħaġa tajba, huwa inutli li jiżdiedu tal-linja jekk dawn se jeħlu fit-traffiku. Għalhekk qed nerġgħu nipproponu sistema tul it-toroq prinċipali kollha imsejħa BRT (Bus Rapid Transit System). Permezz ta’ din is-sistema li tista’ tiġi attwata fi żmien pjuttost qasir, karreġġjati fit-toroq jiġu riservati esklussivament għal tal-linja. Sistema ta’ BRT, xi ħaġa li operaturi tat-trasport pubbliku jisħqu fuqha bħala soluzzjoni effettiva biex is-servizz isir effiċjenti, flimkien ma’ kareġġjati riservati għal tal-linja, tagħti prijorita’ lil tal-linja fejn dawn ikunu fl-istess karreġġjati mal-karozzi privati. Vetturi li jġorru sebgħin ruħ u jew anke aktar għandhom jingħataw prijorita’ fit-toroq. Sistema BRT, sistema nazzjonali ta’ bicycle lanes u infrastuttura oħra għar-roti u pedestrijanizazzjoni f’żoni mniġġsa huma parti kbira mis-soluzzjoni għat-traffiku. Tista’ tirdoppja l-karozzi tal-linja iżda jekk kollha jeħlu fit-traffiku kollox jibqa’ kif inhu.”
