The Gozo tunnel madness

At a time when the government wants people to use the ferry to alleviate traffic problems in the Grand Harbour, it persists on plans by the previous government to construct a tunnel between Malta and Gozo.

Let us for a moment make the assumption that a tunnel between Malta and Gozo is financially feasible. Let us for a brief moment assume that the €250 million investment is recoverable from tolls paid to a private company. Let us assume that this company would not owe its living to massive government subsidies but depend on  tolls for use of passage.

If that were the case, the toll paid by drivers to the private company running the tunnel would be lower or at least at par with present ferry prices. For if the tolls are exorbitant not enough cars will cross to render the project viable.

Considering the Maltese propensity to prefer using their car and the ease of not having to board a ship, the end result would be more cars crossing to and from Gozo. 

One should ask why would Gozo’s business lobby support the tunnel? Probably it is because it would result in more visitors to Gozo. The temptation to just leave home with your car and have a day trip to Gozo, to have a dip in its cleaner beaches or to enjoy its countryside, will increase. Some Gozitans will also probably be more disposed to go to work with their car, especially if their toll is subsidised.

It is interesting whether the current studies are taking into account the economic and financial impact of having a tunnel and the ferry service. Can they co-exist? How would the downscaling of ferry operations impact on the carbon footprint of the project?

Studies should also consider the impact that more day-trippers to Gozo using their car will have on the road network in critical points like Xemxija Hill. Will this result in greater pressure for a road passing through pristine areas in Manikata or Mizieb?

It is ironic that a time when the country has started questioning its reliance on the private car and to consider alternatives like maritime transport, the government seems to have endorsed an idea first proposed by the previous administration in a bid to score points before the election.

What the government should be doing is strengthening the maritime links between the island, for example by introducing a fast ferry service between Gozo and Valletta. Another idea would be that of strengthening the link between public transport and the ferry, by for example introducing a cheap annual ticket for those who combine the two modes of transport. 

It is a pity that the Nationalist opposition has already committed itself to a tunnel and that the government can bank on parliamentary consensus for a project which would be the final nail in the coffin for the Eco Gozo vision.

Former Gozo Minister Chris Said now claims paternity over this bad idea, even criticising Labour for doubting the project when he had proposed it. And by ditching the bridge idea, the government has allayed concerns on the impact this would have had on the landscape.

But the impact of a tunnel on transport issues would be the same as that of a bridge. The environmental impact of dredging works on the maritime ecosystem which includes EU protected Posidonia meadows, cannot be ignored. The prospect of construction works near or under Comino should send shivers down the spine of any Environment Authority. One wonders whether the new EA will even have the balls to say no to this project.

Ultimately the tunnel would be a devastating blow to Gozo’s own identity as an eco-island. Instead of using this as an advantage in tourism and a challenge to construct a sustainable economy which explores innovative ways to turn double isolation into an advantage, a tunnel may well reduce Gozo to another Bugibba.

Gozitans would lose that one simple advantage they have: the fact that they have no traffic on their streets.

The question is: should we strive to attract EU subsidies and private investment for such an expensive project or is this money better spent on a maritime infrastructure linking Gozo and the north of Malta with its administrative and commercial hubs?

The answer is simple: our governments lack vision to implement anything of this sort and will persist in proposing quick-fixes which if ever implemented will only create more problems in the long term.