During a press conference in Swieqi, ADPD-The Green Party spokespersons said that whereas other countries are looking at how to reduce the effects of car pollution, in Malta, government is continuing the long standing Maltese tradition of building car-centric infrastructure to the detriment of our quality of life. If people feel unsafe using other means of mobility such as a bike on our roads they will remain captive to a car-centric culture. It is patently obvious that here in Malta, governments and the other political parties never learn: they want more and more roads, which in turn means more and more traffic, congestion and pollution.

ADPD Secretary General Dr Ralph Cassar said that the press conference is being held in Swieqi, because the same mistakes are being repeated here, all over again. The flyovers and junctions being built in Pembroke and Swieqi will not solve anything. Neither will the new road ripping through Żabbar towards the failed Smart City project. It is pertinent to point out that Smart City is just another exercise in property speculation, nothing smart there! The reality is that with the ever increasing number of cars on our roads, the government’s proposals are still increasingly focused on how to facilitate more and more car use rather than to motivate people to use alternative means to the car. According to the latest NSO data, by the last quarter of 2023 the number of vehicles on the roads approached 440,000. This is unsustainable. It seems that even babies own a vehicle in Malta! These numbers are not sustainable for the size of the country. All this is reflected in the time we spend in traffic to travel relatively short distances. This shows the lack of long-term planning, and a mentality that pushes more and more people to use their car instead of enabling other means of mobility. This is such a car-sick country that even the so-called Mosta ‘square’ in front of the majestic Mosta church, which has recently been embellished, has in actual fact remained just another congested, traffic filled road with the church serving as a roundabout. In which city or locality in Europe which is proud of its city-centre do these things happen in 2024?

Cassar insisted that while the bus service is free at the point of use, the fact remains that this still did not leave much of a dent on the volume of private cars on the roads. It was a half-hearted attempt because it was not accompanied by other measures. The problem was never the price of the ticket, which was quite cheap but the efficiency of public transport, precisely because buses get stuck in traffic. While the bus fleet was modernised and also made more accessible, service and efficiency continued to suffer, as the government does not want to prioritise public transport on our roads. Where are the bus priority corridors mentioned in the government commissioned Transport Masterplan? Certain areas also need a more frequent service, an hourly service does not make sense. Big urban centres also need services that start in that locality precisely because there is a great demand for the service. For example, more buses should start their routes from Buġibba, Mosta, Fgura, Marsaskala, and Birkirkara, among others. Buses passing through from other localities are not keeping up with the demand. Much more emphasis is also needed on other modes of transport, alleviating pressure on public transport. The escooter service should have been better regulated. Even though there is a big demand for that service, it still will be scrapped by March. Is this how the new transport Minister plans to solve problems, by scrapping alternative means of mobility? Do the people in charge really know what they are doing?

ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci said that the proposed Swieqi and Pembroke flyovers and junctions projects are testament to lack of consideration of people who opt for alternative modes of transport. Bicycle lanes are not even contemplated in this type of project with cars being facilitated by government to the extent that its obsession with cars is evident, without promoting travelling on foot, bicycle use or public transport. For this government, the future is car use and nothing else. This demonstrates archaic thinking rather than modern governance with long-term vision.

Gauci also stated that whilst other countries are devising strategies on how to lessen the effects of car pollution, in Malta we are building infrastructure which only facilitates car use. It is government which is responsible for these large projects which impact people’s lives and the types of transport which people use to commute. Government is morally obliged to ensure a fair measure of road-sharing and to make sure that pedestrians and cyclists feel safe rather than risk endangering their lives. We believe that if roads are safe and efficient for users of alternative modes of transport, the volume of cars on our roads will decrease. But as long as government fails to deliver road infrastructure which guarantees road-sharing, few will risk using cycles as a means of commuting, reducing cycling to little more than an early morning weekend hobby where cars could be avoided.

We are losing a golden opportunity and keep seeing proposals which are anachronistic and which are not in sync with today’s realities. It is high time that government gets out of its comfort zone and delivers serious, responsible and modern infrastructure which is not centred only around cars. The Prime Minister’s rhetoric about action on climate change are just empty words, because his government has neither the political will nor the courage to take the necessary measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, concluded Gauci.

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Toroq aċċessibbli għal mezzi alternattivi biss inaqqsu l-konġestjoni tat-traffiku

Kelliema tal-ADPD-The Green Party qalu li fejn f’pajjiżi oħra qed jaraw kif inaqqsu l-effett tat-tniġġis mill-karozzi, f’Malta nkomplu noħolqu infrastruttura li taġevola biss lill-karozzi. Jekk dak li jkun ma jħossux sigur li jimxi jew li juża xi mezz ieħor bħal ngħidu aħna rota fit-toroq tagħna dawn se jibqgħu fgati bil-karozzi. Hawn Malta imma l-gvernijiet u l-partiti l-oħra ma jitgħallmu qatt: iridu aktar u aktar toroq li ma jsolvu xejn.

Is-Segretarju Ġenerali tal-ADPD Dr Ralph Cassar qal li illum qegħdin is-Swieqi fejn se jerġgħu jirrepetu l-istess żbalji li għamlu postijiet oħra. Mingħalihom li bil-flyovers se jsolvu xi ħaġa. Reġgħu ħolmu wkoll bi triq lejn Smart City, il-proġett li falla kompletament u sar biss spekulazzjoni tal-proprjetà. Ir-realtà hi li bil-karozzi fit-toroq li kulma jmur dejjem jiżdiedu, il-proposti tal-gvern qegħdin dejjem ikunu iffokati fuq dwar kif se jaġevola aktar u aktar l-użu tal-karozza minflok ma nixprunaw lin-nies biex jużaw mezzi alternattivi minflok il-karozza.  Skont l-aħħar stħarrig tal-NSO sal-aħħar kwart tas-sena 2023 qrobna lejn 440,000 karozza. Mid-dehra naje t-trabi għandhom karozza! Xejra insostenibbli. Dawn huma numri li għad-daqs tal-pajjiż ma humiex sostenibbli u dan kollu qed  jiġi rifless fil-ħin li nqattgħu fit-traffiku biex nivvjaggaw distanzi relattivament qosra.Din turi n-nuqqas ta’ ppjanar fit-tul u ppjanar li jimbotta aktar u aktar nies jużaw il-karozza tagħhom flok mezzi oħra. Anke il-pjazza tal-Mosta quddiem il-knisja maestuża, irrangawha imma ħallewha roundabout! F’liema post fl-Ewropa jrisu dawn l-affarijiet fl-2024?

Cassar sostna li l-fatt li tal-linja ġiet b’xejn għal min jużaha xorta ma ħalliex effett fuq il-volum tal-karozzi privati fit-toroq. Kien attentat fjakk nofs ħeġġa u bla immaġinazzjoni għax il-problema qatt ma kienet il-prezz tal-biljett imma l-effiċjenza tat-trasport pubbliku, propju għax jeħlu fit-traffiku. Filwaqt li l-flotta tal-karozzi ġiet immodernizzata u saret ukoll aktar aċċessibbli, is-servizz u l-effiċjenza baqgħu ibatu, għax il-gvern ma jridx jagħti prijorita lis-servizzi pubbliċi fit-toroq tagħna. Fejn huma l-bus priority corridors imsemmijin fil-Masterplan dwar it-trasport tal-gvern? Iva ċerti żoni għandhom bżonn servizz aktar spiss, servizz ta’ darba kull siegħa ma jagħmilx sens. Postijiet kbar ukoll għandhom bżonn servizzi li jibdew fil-lokalità għax hemm domanda kbira għas-servizz, eżempju, aktar karozzi tal-linja jibdew minn Buġibba,l-Mosta, Fgura, Marsaskala, Birkirkara, fost oħrajn. Hemm bżonn ukoll ħafna aktar emfasi fuq mezzi oħra ta’ trasport, li jtaffu l-pressjoni fuq it-trasport pubbliku. Ma ninsewx ukoll mezzi bħal escooters li hemm domanda għalihom imma suppost se jiġu scrapped sa Marzu pero’ l-Ministru l-ġdid wera li jistgħu jibqgħu. Eżattament jafu x’qed jagħmlu?

Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD Sandra Gauci qalet li meta tara l-proġett propost tal-flyovers u l-junctions tas-Swieqi u ta’ Pembroke tinduna kemm nies li jużaw mezzi alternattivi lanqas biss jiġu kkunsidrati fil-pjanijiet. Il-bike lanes lanqas biss ġew ikkontemplati fi proġett ta’ dan it-tip u l-karozza tibqa l-aktar mezz aġevolat minn dan il-gvern li bilkemm jaħbi l-fissazzjoni li għandu għall-karozza u li ma jagħmel xejn biex iħajjar lin-nies li jimxu, jużaw rota jew it-transport pubbliku. Il-futur għal gvern hu karozza u xejn aktar. Dan jidher ħsieb anakronistiku u ta’ żmien il-passat u mhux ta’ gvern li suppost ikun modern u jara fit-tul.

Gauci kompliet li fejn f’pajjiżi oħra qed jaraw kif inaqqsu l-effett tat-tniġġis mil-karozzi, f’Malta nkomplu noħolqu infrastruttura li taġevola biss lill-karozzi.  Il-gvern irid ikun konsistenti u jkun hu li bil-proġetti proposti jaġevola mezzi differenti ta’ trasport. It-toroq mhumiex tal-karozzi biss. Il-gvern hu responsabbli minn dawn il-proġetti kbar li jħallu impatt fuq il-ħajja tan-nies u l-mezzi tat-trasport li jużaw minn post għall-ieħor. Għandu l-obbligu morali li jkun hemm road sharing sura u jassigura li min juża rota jew jimxi jħossu sigur meta jagħmel dan u mhux il-vjaġġ jissarraf f’riskji ta’ inċidenti li jistgħu ikunu fatali. Nemmnu li ladarba t-toroq ikunu siguri u effiċenti għal min juża mezzi alternattivi ta’ trasport il-volum tal-karozzi jonqos mit-toroq tagħna. Imma sakemm il-gvern ma jirnexxielux jiggarantixxi proġetti li juru li hemm verament rieda li jkun hemm road sharing, ftit se jkunu dawk li se jissugraw jużaw rota bħala mezz ta’ trasport imma tibqa biss passatemp li tipprattika fil-weekend filgħodu kmieni biex tevita l-karozzi.

Qed nitilfu opportunitajiet tad-deheb u qed nibqgħu naraw proposti li huma anakronistriċi u ma jgħoddux għaż-żminijiet tal-lum. Hemm bżonn li l-gvern joħroġ mil-comfort zone tiegħu u joffri infrastruttura serja moderna li mhix iċċentrata fuq il-karozzi biss. Il-flyovers u l-junctions tas-Swieqi u Pembroke m’huma se jsolvu xejn. Il-kliem sabiħ tal-Prim Ministru dwar il-bidla fil-klima huwa kliem fil-vojt la l-gvern m’għandux ir-rieda politika u l-kuraġġ li jieħu l-miżuri meħtieġa biex inaqqas l-emmissjonijiet tal-gassijiet serra, temmet tgħid Gauci.