Bridge between islands ‘needed for Gozo’s children’

A permanent road link between Malta and Gozo may well strengthen the connection between the two islands, but the government's proposal for a bridge has served to further divide public opinion.

Environmentalist lobbies, spearheaded by Alternattiva Demokratika - The Green Party - warn of dire consequences for both the economy and the fragile underwater ecology of the fliegu ('channel') - while a predominantly Maltese faction also argues to preserve the idyllic, tranquil character of Malta's sister island.

But many Gozitans, especially members of the island's microscopic business community, look at things differently. Michael Caruana of the Gozo Business Chamber argues that a bridge is needed to address a number of endemic problems that cannot be solved by a ferry link alone.

"We are losing our children as things stand at present," he tells MaltaToday. "Most of our younger generation either study or work in Malta. They have to come and go every day: it's a big problem that their Maltese counterparts don't have to face. Gozitan students have to find accommodation in Malta - and in many cases, for practical reasons, they don't come back."

At this rate, he adds, the population of Gozo is ageing at a dramatic rate. And while he acknowledges that a bridge in itself will not solve the perennial problem of lack of employment opportunities on the sister island, "it will at least facilitate things."

If managed properly, Caruana envisages that a road link could also be exploited to better regulate access to Gozo.

"It will have to be a toll bridge, and the toll fare can be adjusted to address the island's needs."

Caruana envisages a higher fare in summer, to avoid Gozo being swamped by day-trippers. In winter, when internal tourism is at its low ebb, the toll could be reduced to encourage more visitors.

And like the present ferry rates, Caruana envisages a subsidy for Gozitans, who "don't go to Malta on holiday."

However these arguments are strongly rebutted by AD, whose secretary-general, Ralph Cassar, has described the bridge proposal as "a recipe for financial disaster."

"These are the facts that nobody can deny. Fact 1: the populations of Malta and Gozo are too small to sustain such a project. Only around 1,500 vehicles a day, in each direction, use the ferry service. Fact 2: the costs will be astronomical, running into the hundreds of millions of euros. It will mean spending all EU money for years on end on just one project, with zero for all the rest. Fact 3: to finance the project and the equally astronomical maintenance costs, the toll to use the bridge will probably have to be more than the ferry fare."

Cassar argues, moreover, that the decision to go for a permanent link between the two islands is an admission of failure to create jobs in Gozo.

"Joseph Muscat has obviously given up on his campaign promise of 'jobs in Gozo for the Gozitans.' He is intent on ruining the unique experience Gozo can offer in niche tourism such as diving, boutique hotels in villages and agritourism. All the talk about IT services and other industries for which distances are not an issue seems to have been forgotten."
What is really needed, according to AD, is a sustainable mobility plan for the whole of Malta and Gozo.

"It is strange that we are considering spending astronomical amounts of money on bridges or tunnels when in the recent past a fast service was for some reason deemed unfeasible," Cassar says, referring to the short-lived catamaran service called 'Victoria Express' launched in 1999.

"Why not reintroduce fast passenger ferries from Gozo to commercial centres in Malta such as Valletta, Sliema, Bugibba and Marsaskala? It is surely much more sustainable than either a bridge or tunnel."