Circular ferry proposed in new mobility plan to reduce traffic

A feasibility study is being proposed to determine “the possibility and viability” of dedicated circular public transport routes linking major towns to ferry landings in the Valletta region, which includes 27 towns including urban centres like Sliema, Gzira, Zabbar and Birkirkara.

Through the new service commuters will be picked up from localities like Gzira, St Julian’s, Pembroke and Ibragg and transported to the Sliema Ferries; and from Paola, Xghajra, Fgura and Zabbar to the Cospicua ferry. This will be accompanied by the expansion of free public transport to the ferry landings.

This is one of the measures being explored in a public consultation document aimed at enhancing sustainable mobility in this highly populated region.

This particular measure will study how to facilitate ferry usage for residents living in nearby town thus better exploiting inter-modal linkages.

Collective transport and teleworking for civil service

The proposed plan will also seek to encourage public sector entities to develop green travel plans for their employees. This could include the provision of collective transport from localities with a high concentration of employees, tele-working on a set number of days per week and the encouragement of car-pooling among employees. Private sector entities within the region will also be encouraged to prepare plans for their employees to travel more sustainably. Moreover, new commercial developments of a certain size will be obliged to implement a Green Commuting Plan.

The plan also foresees more pedestrian areas especially in locality centres, noting that while most journeys which are less than 2km in length can easily be carried out on foot, the current pedestrian infrastructure “still deters users from walking”.

Thus, it proposes an improvement of pedestrian infrastructure, particularly within areas in localities which could generate the most foot traffic such as school areas, shopping areas, the church, post offices, police stations and health care clinic and the roads leading to them.

To facilitate this development the plan proposes a Slow Street Strategy aimed at creating networks of walking and cycling. This measure will also improve the general accessibility of pavements, walkways for persons with disabilities, the elderly and the use of pushchairs.

Pilot studies for pedestrianised slow traffic areas

This measure will also identify streets which can be potentially transformed into semi or fully pedestrianised areas within the different localities, after running studies and pilot projects and holding discussions with affected parties.

According to the draft proposals. traffic may also be limited at particular times during the day. Potential areas which have been identified, and could thus be studied further, include commercial hubs within localities, as well as some urban pockets that have been designated within the Slow Streets strategies, as temporary play streets or as better articulated street spaces.

In the spirit of a ‘tactical urbanism’ (that is, low-cost, temporary and reversible) approach, these spaces may be tested for increased pedestrian activity and subsequently either reverted back to their current state or be made even more permanent, depending on the outcome of such piloting initiatives.

School grounds proposed as night car parks

Another measure will investigate the introduction of communal parking facilities including underground car parks and identify potential locations.

These communal parking spaces could be further utilised to serve other mobility objectives by including vehicle charging infrastructure and linking the car parks to alternative modes of transport options such residential car sharing and public transport links.

The study will also consider whether public land could be used for communal parking at given times. “For instance, the study will consider whether specific government building car parks or school grounds could be opened as residential parking during night-time.”