PN alarmed by ‘roads crisis’: government lacks long-term vision

A record number of fatalities on Malta’s roads and worsening traffic congestion are alarming but government has no plan to address the problems, the Nationalist Party said.

PN MPs Adrian Delia and Ryan Callus said people were justly concerned about the number of traffic fatalities, which this year reached a 10-year high.

The roads claimed the lives of 24 people this year.

“From a discussion on traffic, we ended up speaking about tragedies,” the MPs said on Friday.

They noted that traffic congestion was contributing to higher stress levels and frustration, which were having an impact on mental health. Traffic pollution was also having a dire impact on respiratory diseases.

“The PN joins the people in expressing concern over a lack of traffic management with Transport Malta ending up being the subject of one scandal after another, while the responsible minister hides behind and invents excuses,” Delia and Callus said.

They criticised government for failing to offer solutions to overcome traffic congestion, pointing out that plans revealed before the election for a metro turned out to be “empty promises”.

“The government has spent millions of euros on infrastructure that unfortunately will not provide the long-term benefits that were being expected and this is evidence of Robert Abela’s failure to have a long-term vision,” they said.