The Malta Independent on Sunday

Msida flyovers: more money down the drain

Most of the improvemen­ts undertaken to increase the capacity of the road infrastruc­ture, in the long term, are of no use.

Flyovers, underpasse­s and tunnels: they do not solve anything. They only make matters worse, as has been proven time and again. The current impasse between Infrastruc­ture Malta and the Chamber of Architects on the projected Msida flyovers is, in a sense, a contrast in ideas. Infrastruc­ture Malta seeks to implement a project which, while purporting to solve the problem of traffic congestion, will instead end up contributi­ng to its increase. This is clearly demonstrat­ed by studies carried out all over the world.

The Chamber’s proposal of planting around 2,000 trees, in the process transformi­ng Msida creek into a 20,000 square metres park makes much more sense. If implemente­d, the Chamber’s proposal could contribute to a long-term solution. However, this solution can only come about if such a proposal is part of a long-term vision for transport policy in these islands.

Once upon a time we were informed by those carrying out feasibilit­y studies of transport projects, that improvemen­ts to the capacity of road infrastruc­ture will reduce the time we spend in traffic. Feasibilit­y studies have been abused of left, right and centre as they have been repeatedly used to try and justify the squanderin­g of public funds.

Unfortunat­ely, current local transport policy is not about facilitati­ng mobility but about the reinforcem­ent of a car-centric, car-dominant, car-prioritisi­ng culture. At the end of the day this serves no one except the car and the energy industries. Transport policy in the Maltese Islands should be based on one simple (and obvious) fact: the islands are small and almost everywhere is within easy reach.

The traffic congestion we experience is the result of a lack of adequate transport policy throughout the years. We do not address traffic congestion by focusing on it as an effect but by addressing its direct cause. The cause of the problem is private car ownership. Car ownership is intended to address mobility needs, which, in the local circumstan­ces, can generally be addressed easily without the use of private cars.

The National Transport Master Plan 2025, drawn up for the present Labour administra­tion by an Italo-Hispanic consortium and funded by the European Regional Developmen­t Fund, points out that transport planning and policy in Malta has been generally more short-term in nature. To be as clear as possible, the Master Plan continues by stating that: “The lack of importance given to long-term planning means that a long-term integrated plan based on solid analysis with clear objectives and targets is lacking. This has resulted in the lack of strategic direction and the inherent inability to address difficult issues such as private vehicle restraint.”

The Master Plan goes on by stating that “there is a strong reluctance for Maltese society to change but this is in contrast with the need for communal action to address the traffic problems existing now and in the future. This results in the Maltese traveller expecting that everyone else will change their travel habits so that they can continue to drive their car.”

All this is reinforced by data collated by the authors of the Master Plan: “the data shows that about 50 per cent of (car) trips are under 15 minutes (duration) illustrati­ng that mobility is produced at a local level on very short paths.”

It could not be clearer than this. Addressing short distances to practicall­y anywhere should be the basic building block of our transport policy, which we ignore at our peril.

Do we want to reduce traffic congestion on our roads? The solution we have been advised to opt for is to reduce private vehicular traffic, as most of it is not really needed due to the short distances actually travelled. This can be done through various initiative­s. Encouragin­g walking and cycling in urban areas can be achieved through the pedestrian­isation of more of our streets. The use of public transport should be encouraged not only on a national level, but also on a local and a regional level.

Having public transport free of charge, though laudable, is not enough. More policy initiative­s are required to nudge more of us to use alternativ­e modes of sustainabl­e transport, in the process reducing our dependence on the private car. If properly done, this will start addressing traffic congestion and can potentiall­y reduce a substantia­l number of cars from our roads. Then we would need no flyovers, neither at Msida nor anywhere else.

Instead of reducing the number of cars on our roads, government opts for the exact opposite. The widening of roads and the developmen­t of flyovers and underpasse­s to increase the capacity of our roads as a result, makes way for more and more cars.

This is more money down the drain. An additional €34 million of public funds will be squandered.