Congestion is the problem

This morning it took me less than 20 minutes (waiting time on stage included) to arrive from Msida to San Gwann by bus 22.
Probably if taken an hour later at the peak of traffic congestion the length of the bus trip will double.
In my opinion the most astonishing declaration on the public transport route system was Arriva’s admission that they were not aware of the level of traffic congestion levels in Malta.
This startling revelation exposes the pitfall in the planning for the new routes; no wonder these appeared to work well on paper but failed to meet expectations in practice.
In fact one major lesson to be learned is that anything planned must be first tested on the ground and that change is better appreciated if done incrementally over a period of time than through shock and awe.
Probably the disastrous launching of the service, partly due to the long winded routes (ideal in traffic free conditions) and partly due to the no-show of a third of Arriva’s drivers on the first day of service, created a climate of national pandemonium, which saw some people giving up on buses and reverting to car use, in a way that congestion levels may well have increased.
But even before Arriva came congestion was already a big problem especially in certain areas of Malta.
The reality is that even if offered the best bus service people cling to their car as their refuge of private space. What is sure is that from a public policy perspective daily car use in large urban centres is immensely problematic.
It also creates a demand for more roads and car parks. And as my good friend Julian Manduca used to say, the more car parks you build the more cars you have on the road; which means even more congestion.
The choice is between more public spaces and liveable towns or a complete gridlock and the construction of more roads in the remaining pristine areas of Malta.
Added to this is that in Malta most roads are either residential or semi residential where pedestrians have as much right to use them as drivers.
Decreasing speed levels in normal roads as recently proposed by green party councillor Ralph Cassar makes a lot of sense.
The reality is that cars are a product of suburbia and the American high way. Unfortunately due to the shabbiness of public transport during the past 5 decades, people have grown with the idea that there is no alternative to the private car.
Changing that overnight is not easy and requires hard choices.
One effective solution would be targhe alterne system through which during peak hours only cars whose number plates start with a particular letter should be allowed on the road.
Such a step would decrease traffic substantially, make public transport more viable and decrease pollution levels substantially.
It will also encourage people to pool cars and for workplaces to organise their own pools of transport.
We can also explore new public transport solutions. While Malta lacks a critical mass to render an underground system affordable, we do not make enough use of maritime connections.