Friends of the Earth Malta is concerned over the way the transport issue has developed recently. The NGO deplores the violence and illegalities which occurred during the protests. The NGO urges all political parties to unite on environmental issues such as this one since it is of national concern and not partisan.

Friends of the Earth Malta believes that the government must once and for all tackle our national transport problems which have been left to fester for the past decades. It has now been six years since two local doctors (Balzan and Bonnici) published their research showing that the residents of Fgura have the highest level of respiratory problems amongst all the towns and cities studied worldwide. The doctors pointed out that the cause of the health problems are very likely to be related to motor vehicle and power station emissions, yet very little has been done since then to achieve sustainability in the transport sector.

By now the government must have realised that the public transport operators want nothing more than a status quo. This must not be allowed to happen. Friends of the Earth Malta would support initiatives which challenge this state of affairs in a just and environmentally sound manner.

Malta needs an integrated plan designed to improve the efficiency and reliability of transport methods giving due consideration to social and environmental impacts. The public deserves a public transport service that suits their needs and not the needs of those who run a private monopoly which exploits our tax money.