Three organisations – Moviment Graffitti, Friends of the Earth Malta, and Rota – this morning put up banners over gridlock traffic in Marsa and Msida to highlight the “major shortcomings in the transport infrastructure.”

In a joint statement, the organisations said that “the situation dealt to us by the authorities is leading to excessive car dependence, congestion and pollution experienced by the nation everyday as a direct result.”

Bearing the words “Prijorità nies, mhux karozzi” (Prioritise people, not cars) the organisations’ banners criticise what they describe as, “incessant prioritisation of private car use over safer, more inclusive, and sustainable transport.”

They claimed that “this broken model has led to more car traffic, with almost 40 cars added to our roads every day, and an alarming number of road accidents; 2022 shattered records with 26 people killed and hundreds suffering grievous injuries over the year.”

“Since pedestrians and cyclists are the most vulnerable commuters in dangerous roads, these statistics do not promote the voluntary uptake of active travel,” they said.

The organisations said that “ironically, big infrastructural projects across the island have failed to abate traffic congestion, unsurprising to experts in the field who have been warning of the problem of induced demand.”

They also insisted that “additionally, the construction of new and widened roads has seen a massive loss in agricultural or otherwise water permeable land, exacerbating flooding, food security concerns, and climate related issues, and the emissions from increased private car use have both environmental and human health impacts.”

The organisations are pushing to recognise the need of more socially just transport infrastructure, where:

“children and adults are safe when travelling on foot or by bicycle on efficient and pleasant routes; public transport services, such as buses and ferries, are reliable and serve the diverse needs of the public and not the financial whims of private investors; and more urban space is dedicated to communities rather than to the stowing of private vehicles.”

Moreover, they said, “car ownership should not be a necessity and a burdening cost, with those who cannot afford a private vehicle made to feel socially marginalised by our transport infrastructure.”

The three organisations concluded by reiterating their demands to the relevant authorities “to start implementing bold and necessary steps to resolve what has fast become a national crisis.”

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