Government unveils yet another traffic plan to overhaul transport sector

A 24-hour economy

Bonett repeated previous statements as he noted that it no longer makes sense for a number of services to be delivered at the same time. That’s why, he proposed, government would lead by example. Bonett said that services such as waste collection, cleansing, landscaping and driving licence lessons should not be carried out during peak hours. 

The same reasoning works for the private sector, the minister noted, as he pledged to have frank discussions with the private sector on how businesses can make deliveries during off-peak hours. By collaborating with the private sector, government hopes to minimise the 60,000 commercial vehicles during peak hours.

Bonett said that government would also be studying the feasibility and implementation of cargo services to Gozo from the Freeport, Kordin, and Valletta, to prevent traffic flow towards Ċirkewwa.

Limiting the use of passenger vehicles

Bonett also repeated the idea of introducing incentives for people to surrender their driving licence and convincing youths to refrain from obtaining their licences. When pressed on what the incentives would include, he stated that government has ideas, but will wait for a public discussion to unfold. He added that the finance ministry has already allocated €5 million to such incentives. 

These measures are among a few initiatives aimed at shifting cultural attitudes towards car ownership and promoting more sustainable transport methods. 

Solving parking problems

When it comes to solving problems related to parking, Bonett proposed the creation of more park-and-ride facilities outside of certain localities, especially those prone to congestion and parking shortages. 

He also proposed increasing the number of public spaces that can be used as parking facilities such as schools, noting that this measure is already being adopted in localities such as Qawra and Marsaskala. “This measure has proven effective and should be implemented across the board,” he said.

Additionally, government is also considering expressions of interests so that the private sector can come forward with technology-based solutions to improve the parking situation in localities. 

Public transport overhaul

To improve the efficiency of the public transport system, the transport minister announced a revision of the current bus routes, explaining that the last time these were revised in 2014, Malta was a completely different country. This measure, he added, would take place in the medium term. 

Short-term proposals include introducing bus routes to industrial estates, circular bus routes within big localities, and new bus routes that have fewer stops.

There are also plans for direct buses connecting park-and-ride locations, like Ta’ Qali, to key nodes, including Mater Dei Hospital, the University, and ferry terminals.

A new roadwork coordination committee

To improve coordination on roadworks, Bonett proposed the creation of a new committee made up of the relevant government entities. He explained that the committee’s role would be to create new standards and procedures for the entities to follow. 

Here the minister appealed to contractors to acknowledge the fact that when they carry out roadworks, they should treat residents with respect, and acknowledge that the surrounding communities should not be treated as an inconvenience to the works.

Timeline

The transport minister also explained the timeline in which the proposals are to be implemented. 

By the end of this year, government is set to conclude its consultation with stakeholders, as decisions on the proposed measures are to be taken within the first quarter of 2025. 

The minister said that all measures should be fully implemented by the third quarter of 2026, but assured that measures which can be implemented before that date would be finished as soon as possible.

Minister doesn’t believe the number of vehicles is the main problem

Before explaining government’s ideas to solve traffic and parking problems, the transport minister went over a number of statistics that capture the current situation on the islands. Among the statistics, Bonett noted that car ownership in Malta currently shows no signs of decreasing. 

The minister was pressed on the fact that the majority of the announced proposals do not disincentivize car ownership. He was asked whether reducing the number of cars on the islands was one of government’s targets.

Bonett said that one must not only consider the number of cars in Malta, noting that the use of cars is the main issue. “You can have a million cars in Malta, but there won’t be a traffic issue if they’re not being used,” he explained. 

The minister said he believes that the biggest problem with regards to traffic isn’t the number of cars in the country, but the fact that they’re being used at the same time. Looking ahead to the upcoming consultations on the proposals, Bonett said that he would not like the discussion to focus solely on the number of cars.