LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese government has announced a set of proposals to ease the traffic situation on the island. The proposals will be subject to consultation with the public and stakeholders as confirmed by the Transport Minister Chris Bonett. He added that the measures will start to be implemented in the second quarter of 2025, and end in the third quarter of 2026.
Among the proposals unveiled by the government to ease traffic congestion, Minister Bonett announced off-peak service provision, revised bus routes, increased parking in public spaces, and better coordination on road works.
The government’s proposals are based on six pillars: a 24-hour economy, incentives to limit the use of vehicles, parking, public transport, road works coordination, and sustainable mobility.
The government is expected to lead by example, proposing services such as waste collection, cleansing, landscaping and driving licence lessons should not be carried out during peak hours. The government will also discuss with the private sector minimise the 60,000 commercial vehicles during peak hours.
The Transport Minister referred to the proposal to limit the use of passenger vehicles by introducing incentives for people to surrender their driving licence and convincing youths to refrain from obtaining their licences. He added that the finance ministry has already allocated 5 million to such incentives.
Meanwhile, more park-and-ride facilities, open spaces that can be used as parking facilities such as schools and technology-based solutions to improve the parking situation in localities are being proposed to solve parking problems.
The Maltese government is proposing a complete overhaul of the public transport system. This measure would take place in the medium term. The changes to take place in short term include new bus routes to industrial estates, circular bus routes within big localities, and new bus routes that have fewer stops.
Meanwhile, a new committee will be created to improve coordination on roadworks.
There are over 225,000 car owners in Malta, with over 55,000 individuals having more than one car to their name. Transport Minister said he does not believe the number of vehicles is the main problem, but the biggest issue concerning traffic is the fact that they are being used at the same time.
– photo Doi –
(ITALPRESS).
