WATCH | How to beat Malta’s traffic problem

Picture this: You’re sitting in your car in between errands on a weekend and a long line of cars stretches out as far as the eye can see; motorcycles whizz past stationary vehicles, while cars and trucks move a few inches each minute.

To your side, you can see a driver behind the wheel. Their facial expressions show frustration, anger, and futility. You look at yourself in the reflection of your rear-view mirror and see similar signs of despair.

Does this sound familiar?

A few months ago, I was in a similar miserable traffic jam while listening to Brodu, a popular Maltese band that in 2024 released a song titled Ħafna Karozzi (A lot of cars).

The song perfectly captures the daily struggle of thousands of commuters who find themselves stuck in traffic. The music captures the cacophony and confusion one finds on jam-packed roads, while lyrics like “Karozzti santwarju” (my car is my sanctuary), somehow successfully romanticised my love-hate relationship with my car and daily commute.

The song gave me the idea to truly experience Malta’s roads beyond the comfort of my car.

Before doing so, I first wanted to understand how the song came to be and what inspired it.

I spoke to Brodu’s frontman, Mark Iż-Żiżża Abela at the band’s garage in Marsa.

Among musical instruments and mementos, Mark told me that the inspiration for the song came to him while driving his sister’s car some 20 years ago, when the number of cars in Malta was 130,000 less than what it is today.

Amazingly, it turned out that Mark and I live and work very close to each other, but unlike me, he doesn’t have a car and tries to avoid using one. Instead, he rides a motorcycle, the bus, and a bicycle, which he spoke about with quite a bit of love.

So, I asked him to give me some advice on using a bicycle, especially since I never really used one on main roads—although I lied to my editor about this later.

His advice was quite straightforward: “Have a coffee before you go, wear a helmet, and ride fast so you spend less time on the road.”

With that in mind, I set out to use four different modes of transport to travel from home to work—from Żabbar to San Ġwann.

THE CAR

To get a feel of the roads through different modes of transport, I filmed and timed my commute during the Easter holidays, as the roads are quieter, safer, and less congested.

My commute by car was the shortest and most straightforward of all four trips. I followed the road set out for me by the Waze application, passed through Fgura, the Marsa Junction, Santa Venera tunnels, Regional Road, and managed to get to work in around 30 minutes.

As one might suspect, the ride was comfortable and easy.

THE BUS

I must confess that it had been years since I last used the bus before this project.

I used to ride the bus every day to go to Junior College in Msida, Valletta, Paceville, and wherever I needed to go.

But as soon as I passed my driving test and got my first car, the bus became obsolete. The car provides independence and obtaining one is a goal for many youths after they turn 18. I was no different.

However, for this feature, I left my car keys at home, grabbed my Tal-Linja Card and set off. Luckily for me, the 120 route takes me from Żabbar to San Ġwann directly with no need to change buses.

After a few minutes of waiting, the bus came, and I sat down and looked out of the window like the passenger princess I was. I quickly realised that one of the things I missed from the bus was listening to what people are talking about.

It didn’t take long for people to start complaining about the bus service and its delays. The subject quickly shifted to complaining about foreigners, but that’s a matter for another time.

On the journey, our driver informed us that he couldn’t pass through the regular route due to an accident in Fgura. While that didn’t affect my journey, I would imagine those waiting for the 120 bus in Fgura were less pleased after their ride never showed up.

Personally, my bus ride was calm and predictable. I arrived in San Ġwann exactly as I had predicted and didn’t get stuck in traffic.

However, this journey took me an hour, double the time of my car journey.

THE FERRY AND THE BUS

The ferry, is a mode of transport I rarely use. I never worked in Valletta, Sliema, or any other locality where it operates.

Here too, I used my Tal-Linja card as the harbour ferry is free for card holders. To get to Bormla, I carpooled with my father who uses the ferry regularly, and the boat arrived right on time.

The view of the Grand Harbour on an early morning was spectacular. The sun was hovering just above Fort St Angelo, the seagulls too were making their commute, and I was happy to be taking it all in. We crossed the harbour in 10 minutes, after which I made my way to the bus terminal to catch the bus to San Ġwann.

Luckily, I arrived just before the bus opened its doors, and the ride to work was short and traffic-free.

This, however, was the longest commute, taking me an hour and 20 minutes to reach my workplace in San Ġwann from Żabbar.

THE BICYCLE

My experience riding a bicycle to and from work is the most surreal I’ve ever had on Maltese roads.

After getting a rental bike and helmet from San Ġwann’s The Cyclist, I took some practice runs to get acclimatised with the bicycle. Like Żiżża suggested, I had a coffee before the journey and set off from Żabbar.

Until I reached Marsa, the journey was serene and easy as I had a few downhill roads in front of me. From Marsa to San Ġwann, I had to ride through busier roads with cars and trucks squeezing past me from behind. During such instances I understood the true meaning of the lyrics, “My car is my sanctuary.”

But amazingly, I made it to the office in just under 40 minutes. This means that I would have arrived sooner at my workplace with the bicycle rather than my car if there was heavy traffic on the roads.

MORAL OF THE STORY

What started as a song about traffic turned into a different personal understanding of the roads I travel through every day.

There is no perfect way to commute; only trade-offs we often accept without question. But stepping outside my routine made one thing clear—our dependence on cars is not always the most practical choice, even if it feels like the easiest.

If I can share one nugget of wisdom I gained through this experiment, it’s that just because we think our car offers the quickest and most comfortable commute, it isn’t always the case.

Personally, the experience made me aware of how convenient, stress-free, and at times fun certain alternative modes of transport can be, and I know for a fact that this won’t be the last time I will swap my car keys for my Tal-Linja Card.