ADPD Secretary General calls for measures which push commuters away from private cars

ADPD MEP candidate Ralph Cassar has blasted government’s refusal to implement measures that can truly address Malta’s traffic woes.

On TVM’s Xtra on Monday night, Cassar was asked to give his party’s views on realistic measures that can ease traffic and confront Malta’s infatuation with private cars. 

Cassar started off by blasting the current mindset of increasing road lanes and spending funds on infrastructural projects which accommodate private cars. “Government has a transport master plan,” he noted while saying that the plan states that no matter how many roads and lanes are increased, traffic will not be properly tackled. 

“(The master plan) says that road space for cars must decrease so that people are pushed,” he said, noting politicians’ reluctance to push people away from using their private cars. Cassar called for roads to be built in a manner which guarantees safety for people who use bikes to commute.

Cassar said that government is picking and choosing which parts of the master plan to implement, namely the construction of junctions, “as if junctions can solve anything.” The ADPD candidate stated that lanes which prioritise buses must be increased.

Asked by the show’s host Saviour Balzan whether these arguments garner sympathy from commuters, Cassar called for all politicians to explain to the public that a shift towards more sustainable transport options is crucially needed.

“We’re at a ridiculous point where we gloat about Mosta’s square being pedestrianised. I think its the only pedestrianised square in Europe where cars can pass,” Cassar noted, saying such measures are only taking people for a ride. The ADPD Secretary General concluded by saying that European cities have successfully implemented traffic-easing measures, and that it’s not impossible for Malta to follow suit. 

PN and PL representatives discussion evolves into screaming match

During the show, transport minister Chris Bonett and PN spokesperson for transport Mark Anthony Sammut were discussing the traffic and infrastructure situation’s roots and future. 

Saviour Balzan had reminded his guests that in 1905, Malta had already had a tram as a method of mass transportation, yet more than a century later, the country is still finding it difficult to implement such methods. “Are we talking about a cure (for traffic) and not a vision?”

Bonett assured that government does have a vision, as he noted that decades ago, owning a car in Malta was a status symbol. When asked whether he believes that a solution lies in decreasing the public’s dependence on private cars, the minister said that a solution lies in “using them in a better way.”

The minister then questioned if the fact that people leave their homes to go to work at the same time is efficient, echoing past calls for commuters to travel to work at later times during the day.

Meanwhile, Mark Anthony Sammut said that the biggest failure leading to the current traffic situation is a lack of planning. He further stated that the solution is not telling people to travel at different times, but offering a better alternative to private cars. 

Sammut noted that for instance, rental e-scooters were an alternative to private cars, but government’s lack of enforcement led to these scooters becoming an inconvenience. He also mentioned government’s shelved plans for a metro, noting that taxpayer funds were wasted on studies and a website which is no longer available. 

The discussion eventually spiralled out of control when Bonett said that the most recent changes in bus routes occurred in 2014, as government tried to fix “the mess” left behind by the head of secretariat in the PN’s last transport ministry, Manuel Delia. Bonett referred to Delia as “the same one who conspired with Mark Anthony to remove Adrian Delia.”

Sammut retorted by saying that Bonett is always looking for something to fabricate. He later responded by saying that the minister ought to explain his dealings which led to his wife having four government consultancy contracts. 

As Sammut listed the contracts, Bonett told him to take back his statement, calling it a gross lie. “Don’t be an arrogant idiot (injorant u pastaż),” Bonett told his counterpart.