E-scooters are necessary because they serve in a practical way to facilitate sustainable mobility. Although in certain instances they are creating a nuisance, this is primarily a result of a lack of suitable infrastructure as well as a result of a lack of a culture of enforcement. This was the main message by ADPD-The Green Party speakers at a news conference on sustainable mobility in front of the Ministry for Transport this morning.

ADPD Chairperson Sandra Gauci said it is mistaken to give up instead of seeking solutions for sustainable mobility. The Minister for Transport’s declaration that rental e-scooters will be banned as from March next year is a hasty decision that needs to be reviewed.

People should not be limited in their choices and forced to use cars more. It is well known that that the use of e-scooters has gradually increased since they were introduced in August 2019 – in the summer of 2022 they were used for around 15,000 trips. Imagine if these people continued to add to the overcrowding on buses or otherwise used a car. Now what will these people use? More cars on the road?, questioned Gauci.

The fact is that in Malta we lack sustainable mobility options. We lack bicycle lanes, the speed of cars makes the roads dangerous, and we don’t even have specially reserved lanes for buses, even though the government’s own Transport Master Plan calls for these lanes. We neither have those facilities nor is there the political will from the government to invest in roads that really give peace of mind so that more people can use clean and alternative means of transport.

Government should establish a licensing system of a limited number of companies that wish to offer a rental service of e-scooters and even bicycles, supported by an effective enforcement system, primarily on careless and dangerous driving of cars – which is the real problem in our country because they occupy every centimetre of roads to the detriment of every other means of transport, instead of pushing alternatives off the roads.

Gauci insisted that the vulnerable should be protected – this can be achieved with investment in roads that serve the needs of sustainable mobility removing the inconvenience to the people due to bad use of the sidewalks. This should be addressed, first of all with properly sized pavements, and not encumbered by tables and chairs, and also with more space on the streets for pedestrians, and people with mobility difficulties, including people who use wheelchairs and children in prams. These people also deserve consideration in the mobility policy, concluded Gauci.

ADPD Secretary General Ralph Cassar said that “The reality is that the government is doing the opposite of what is being done in many cities and localities in Europe. What is needed are regulations that makes sense, tenders and permits for ‘shared mobility’ services with clear conditions for operators, and adequate infrastructure for alternative means of transport, both those provided by operators, and personal ones (e -scooters, bicycles and pedelecs). The operators must also do their part to be able to operate. Today there are technological means by which those who misuse a ‘shared mobility’ service can be excluded from using the service.

Cassar said ADPD’s position is clear: The goal should be that public spaces should not be hijacked by cars, but more and more space should be given to cleaner means of transport that do much less damage to our environment, while using much less space in the streets. We want safer roads, a clampdown on dangerous driving and even penalties leading to the permanent withdrawal of driving licenses to those who cause accidents due to excessive speed, carelessness and negligence. The same should apply to whoever uses any means of transport in a careless manner. We leave the cheap populism to others!

Cassar reiterated a proposal that ADPD made years ago as an effective first step towards sustainable mobility in central areas of the country – that of safe routes for bicycles, pedelecs and e-scooters, for example connecting localities close to Valletta, connecting localities close to education institutions such as the University, the Higher Secondary, and MCAST, and connecting neighbouring localities such as Marsaskala, Żabbar, Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa. We need to start somewhere, immediately.

In addition to main roads where you necessarily have segregated routes, it is important that other roads, with interventions in their design, low maximum speeds and effective enforcement become really safe for the use of pedestrians and alternative and clean means of transport. Another intervention that we have been asking for is an extensive pedestrianisation program in the squares of our towns and cities. The roads should be given back to the people, not overrun with cars and pollution, concluded Cassar.

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Il-mobilità sostenibbli u s-sigurtà ta’ persuni vulnerabbli jitjiebu b’investiment fl-infrastuttura

L-e-scooters huma meħtieġa għax iservu b’mod prattiku biex jiffaċilitaw il-mobilità sostenibbli. Hu fatt li f’numru ta’ ċirkustanzi dawn qed joħolqu inkonvenjent, primarjament riżultat ta’ nuqqas ta’ infrastruttura addattata imma ukoll riżultat ta’ nuqqas ta’ kultura ta’ infurzar. Dan kien il-messaġġ li għaddew kelliema ta’ ADPD – The Green Party f’konferenza tal-aħbarijiet dwar il-mobilità sostenibbli quddiem il-Ministeru tat-Trasport dalgħodu.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD Sandra Gauci qalet li hu żball li minflok ma nfittxu s-soluzzjonijiet għall-mobilità sostenibbli nċedu  l-armi. Id-dikjarazzjoni tal-Ministru tat-Trasport li l-e-scooters għal kiri mhux se jitħallew joperaw aktar minn Marzu tas-sena d-dieħla hi deċiżjoni mgħaġġla li teħtieġ li tkun reveduta.

In-nies m’għandhomx ikunu limitati fl-għażliet tagħhom u mġiegħla jużaw aktar il-karozzi. Hu fatt li minn meta l-e-scooters ġew introdotti f’Awwissu 2019, fis-sajf tal-2022 intużaw għal mal-15,000 vjaġġ. Immaġinaw kieku dawn il-persuni komplew iżidu mal-iffullar fuq tal-linja jew inkella użaw karozza. Issa dawn in-nies x’se jużaw? Aktar karozzi?, staqsiet Gauci.

Il-problema f’Malta hija li m’hawnx bicycle lanes sura. Problema oħra hija li l-veloċità tal-karozzi tagħmel it-toroq perokolużi. Lanqas m’għandna karreġġjati apposta riservati għal tal-linja, kif jesiġi t-Transport Master Plan tal-gvern stess. Jidhrilna li lanqas m’hemm ir-rieda politika mill-gvern li jkollna investiment f’toroq li jagħtu verament serħan il-moħħ lin-nies, fosthom żgħażagħ, li jistgħu u jridu jużaw mezzi nodfa u alternattivi ta’ transport. Toroq sikuri għandha tkun prijorità.

Il-gvern għandu jimbotta lejn alternattivi li jaqdu l-ħtiġijiet tan-nies, permezz ta’ sistema ta’ liċenzjar ta’ numru limitat ta’ kumpaniji li jixtiequ joffru servizz ta’ kiri ta’ e-scooters u anke roti, u jiżgura sistema ta’ infurzar effettiva fit-toroq, primarjament fuq l-użu traskurat u perikoluż tal-karozzi – li huma l-vera problema f’pajjiżna għax jokkupaw kull ċentimetru tat-toroq għas-skapitu ta’ kull mezz ieħor ta’ trasport aktar sostenibbli.

Għandna nipproteġu fuq kollox lil min huwa vulnerabbli. Huwa b’investiment f’toroq li jaqdu l-ħtiġijiet ta’ mobilità sostenibbli li l-inkonvenjent lin-nies minħabba użu ħażin tal-bankini jiġi indirizzat. Dan iseħħ l-ewwelnett b’bankini sura, li ma jkunux ikkapparrati minn mwejjed u siġġijiet, kif ukoll b’aktar spazju fit-toroq għal pedestrians, u persuni b’diffikultà fil-mobilità tagħhom, inkluż persuni li jużaw wheelchairs u min ikollu tfal fil-prams. Dawn in-nies ħaqqhom ukoll kunsiderazzjoni fil-politika tal-mobilità, temmet tgħid Gauci.

Is-Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD Ralph Cassar qal li “Ir-realtà hi li l-gvern qed jagħmel bil-kontra ta’ dak li qed isir f’ħafna bliet u lokalitajiet fl-Ewropa. Li hemm bżonn huma regolamentazzjoni li tagħmel sens, tenders u permessi għal servizzi ta’ ‘shared mobility’ b’kundizzjonijiet ċari għall-operaturi, u infrastruttura adegwata għal mezzi ta’ transport alternattivi, kemm dawk provduti minn operaturi, kif ukoll dawk personali (e-scooters, roti u pedelecs). L-operaturi għandhom jagħmlu wkoll il-parti tagħhom biex ikunu jistgħu joperaw. Illum hemm mezzi teknoloġiċi kif min jagħmel użu ħażin ta’ servizz ta’ ‘shared mobility’ jista’ jiġi eskluż milli juża s-servizz.

Cassar qal li l-pożizzjoni tal-ADPD hija waħda ċara: L-għan għandu jkun li l-ispazji pubbliċi m’għandhomx jiġu kapparrati mill-karozzi, iċda aktar u aktar spazju għandu jingħata lil mezzi ta’ transport aktar nodfa u li jagħmlu ħafna anqas ħsara lil saħħitna, filwaqt li jużaw ferm anqas spazju fit-toroq. Irridu toroq aktar sikuri, clampdown fuq sewqan perikoluż u anke pieni ta’ teħid tal-liċenzji permanenti tas-sewqan lil min jikkawża inċidenti minħabba veloċità eċċessiva, traskuraġni u negliġenza. Kull min juża mezzi ta’ trasport, huma x’inhuma b’mod traskurat għandu jerfa’ r-responsabilità tat-traskuraġni tiegħu. Il-populiżmu rħis inħalluh għal ħaddieħor.

Cassar fakkar fi proposta konkreta li l-ADPD għamel snin ilu bħala bidu effettiv ta’ mixja lejn mobilità sostenibbli f’żoni ċentrali tal-pajjiż hija dik ta’ rotot sikuri għar-roti, pedelecs u e-scooters, per eżempju li jgħaqqdu lokalitajiet viċin il-Belt, li jgħaqqdu lokalitajiet viċin istitutozzjonijiet edukattivi bħall-Università, l-Higher Secondary, u l-MCAST, u li jgħaqqdu lokalitajiet ġirien bħal Marsaskala, Ħaż-Żabbar, Marsaxlokk u Birżebbuġa. Hemm bżonn nibdew minn x’imkien, immedjatament.

Minbarra toroq prinċipali fejn neċessarjament ikollok rotot segregati, huwa importanti li toroq oħra, b’interventi fid-disinn tagħhom, veloċitajiet massimi baxxi u infurzar effettiv jsiru verament sikuri għall-użu tal-pedestrians u ta’ mezzi alternattivi u nodfa ta’ transport. Interventi oħra li ilna nitolbu huwa programm estensiv ta’ pedestrijanizazzjoni fil-pjazzez tal-irħula u l-ibliet tagħna. It-toroq għandhom jingħataw lura lin-nies, mhux invażati karozzi u tniġġis, temm jgħid Cassar.