PN proposes parliamentary committee to tackle Malta’s traffic woes

Opposition Shadow Minister for Transport Ivan Castillo has proposed the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on Traffic Reduction and Sustainable Mobility, saying the Opposition is ready to work with the government to address Malta’s traffic problems.

Castillo said traffic was a national issue affecting families, commuters, schools and businesses, and argued that Parliament should provide a forum where the government, Opposition, experts and stakeholders could work together on potential solutions.

Under the proposal, the committee would consist of three government members and three Opposition members, with the Speaker of the House serving as chair. It would be established through a joint motion approved by parliament.

The minister and shadow minister responsible for sustainable mobility would be among its members, while experts and other stakeholders would be invited to provide advice and testimony.

Castillo said parliament already had procedures for establishing select committees to examine specific subjects. These procedures provide for the participation of the Speaker, the appointment and operation of committees, the hearing of witnesses, the production of documents and the presentation of reports to the House.

The committee's specific composition and terms of reference would be set out in the motion establishing it, according to the proposal.

Castillo also pointed to previous parliamentary select committees as examples of cross-party work producing concrete proposals.

These include the Select Committee on the Recodification and Consolidation of Laws, which presented draft legislation concerning justice in Gozo and administrative law; the Select Committee on Black Dust, established in 2010; and the Select Committee on Strengthening Democracy, which was unanimously approved on July 16, 2008.

The proposed committee would hear from public authorities, independent experts, local councils, transport operators, workers and businesses. Passengers, people with disabilities and members of the public would also be invited to share their experiences and proposals.

According to Castillo, government and Opposition members would have access to the same data on journey times, public transport reliability, school transport, parking and road closures.

They would then examine both short-term measures and longer-term solutions, including their costs and expected impact, with the aim of developing proposals jointly.

The proposal calls for the committee to report to parliament and publish a report every three months, in accordance with parliamentary rules. The reports would set out the committee's findings and the data examined, as well as recommendations, required actions and progress on measures that had been accepted.

Castillo said the reporting process would allow the public to follow developments and assess what was changing.

The Opposition is expected to request a meeting with the government to formally present and explain the proposal, with the aim of reaching agreement on how the initiative could be implemented.

Castillo said the government remained responsible for implementation, but argued that the Opposition could make a contribution towards finding solutions.

He said political differences could remain while the two sides worked together on issues of common interest, describing the proposal as an offer of cooperation in response to a problem affecting people across Malta.