WATCH | Abela insists PL proposals will address traffic problem

Prime Minister Robert Abela has insisted that the PL’s proposals are effective enough to address Malta’s traffic problem.

Abela was doorstepped on Tuesday, minutes before MaltaToday revealed that a financial feasibility study commissioned by Infrastructure Malta in 2023 shows that the PN’s metro project is doable within a five-year timeframe.

This newspaper asked Abela about the contradiction of issuing grants for people to give up their licence and then announcing another grant to help big families buy larger cars.

He noted that this wasn’t a contradiction, as the second grant was an expansion of existent grants aimed at incentivising people to purchase electric vehicles.

Abela insisted that the Malta in Motion plan is a solid plan to reduce traffic, as he listed a number of measures such as incentivised public transport and new ferry connections along the coast.

When pressed on the fact that despite existent measures, traffic persists, Abela said that the number of new vehicles on Malta’s roads has decreased. According to NSO data, an average of 47 new cars hit the road in 2025, as the number of passenger cars increased by more than 17,000 that year alone.

Abela then repeated that he is against “punishment politics” as a way to reduce car use.

The prime minister was then questioned on the fact that Finance Minister Clyde Caruana hasn’t green-lit the metro project yet because a feasibility study still needs to be published.

Asked whether the project will be shelved after the election as was the case in 2022, Abela denied this and welcomed Caruana’s vigilance.

He insisted that he has trust in ARUP and Mizzi Studios, and refused to acknowledge that no one knows whether the proposed project is feasible.