Friends of the Earth Malta welcomes the decision to reform the public transport system in Malta as a long awaited and much needed move for the country. Aiming for a more efficient system means more people may be willing to leave their cars at home and use this service. The benefits are widespread ,less traffic coongestion, less noise and less pollution.
Friends of the Earth Malta states that public transport should continue to be regulated by government. In the hands of a private business, routes which do not provide a large profit margin may be left out.
For these reforms to be truly successful, they will need to convince the public that public transport is a reliable and effective alternative to using a car, catering for all their needs at most times of the day, including at night. If the system does indeed become more efficient, but the car-using public still fails to use it, then the reforms cannot be considered a success.
In this respect, efficiency needs to be combined with financial benefits. An expensive public transport system, which does not allow the public to save much on the petrol they would otherwise use, will probably not have the desired effects. It is also important to make available reduced ticket prices for particular social groups. Eliminating state subsidies might well defeat the purpose of the whole reform, leaving us with public transport which many people still choose not to use.
Increased public transport efficiency will only be achieved if its aim is to provide a service which all can use when they need to, independently of which area they need to travel to and from including Gozo. Viability of a service with a view to maximising revenue would lead to a situation where people living or working along less frequented routes would have access to less regular buses which may stop operating earlier than others. Indeed transport which does not remain active until late hours is unlikely to be of much use to both locals and tourists who wish to make use of the service as a sole means of transport and do away with having a car altogether.
Government funds directed towards the new transport system should be a priority given the positive impact its success could have on the country as a whole. Funds currently allocated for projects which are damaging to the environment or which are not being used effectively should be relocated to this sector, keeping in mind that transport is an issue affecting the Maltese public’s daily lives.
If Malta accomplishes the goal of reducing cars from our congested roads, we will be one step closer towards achieving the carbon emissions reduction which our government has committed itself to. The public transport reform must include the purchase of EURO 4 and EURO 5 buses. Buses which operate below EURO 4 standards will not aid Malta to reach its emissions targets.
This reform is a golden opportunity to successfully address the flaws in our current public transport system. Friends of the Earth Malta urges the government to seize this chance for a long term success.
Riforma tat-Trasport Pubbliku ghal futur sostenibli
Friends of the Earth Malta tilqa’ d-deciżjoni li ssir riforma fit-trasport pubbliku Malti ghaliex ahna nemmnu li permezz ta’ hekk, Malta tista’ tmur ‘l quddiem. Sistema aktar efficjenti theggeg lil pubbliku ingenerali juża aktar dan is-servizz minflok il-karozza privata taghhom. Il-beneficcji huma hafna fosthom inqas kongestjoni tat-traffiku, inqas hsejjes, kif ukoll inqas tniggis.
Jekk it-trasport pubbliku jinghata f’idejn korporazzjonijiet u kumpaniji privati, jekk dawn jaraw li hemm certi rotot li mhux profitabbli, dawn jithallew barra. Ghalhekk Friends of the Earth Malta tiddikjara li t-trasport pubbliku ghandu jibqa’ regolat mill-gvern.
Biex din ir-riforma tkun verament success, hemm bżonn li l-pubbliku jigi konvint li t-trasport pubbliku huwa verament ta’ min joqghod fuqu u ghalhekk jigi kkonsidrat bhala alternattiva biex jitnaqqas l-użu tal-karozzi privati. Dan jista’ jsir billi l-pubbliku jigi assigurat li t-trasport pubbliku ser jaghqdihom fil-bżonnijiet li jista’ jkollhom matul il-gurnata kollha inkluż matul il-lejl. Jekk is-sistema ssir efficjenti, imma l-pubbliku xorta jaghzel li juża l-karozza privata, mela r-riforma ma tistax titqies bhala success.
F’dan ir-rigward, l-efficjenza trid tigi kombinata mal-beneficcji finanzjarji. Jekk it-trasport pubbliku jkun meqjus gholi meta kkomparat ma’ kemm jintefaq fil-‘fuel’, dawn ovjament mhux se jaghzlu li jużaw il-karozza tal-linja. Huwa important li wiehed jahseb li jaghmel rati specjali ghal gruppi ta’ nies partikolari bhal anzjani u studenti.
Li s-sussidji tal-gvern jigu eliminati kompletament jista’ jwassal li l-ghan ewlieni ta’ din ir-riforma ma jitwettaqx u allura n-nies jevitaw li jużaw dan is-servizz.
Żieda fl-efficjenza tat-trasport pubbliku tista’ tigi milhuqa biss jekk l-ghan ta’ dan is-servizz ikun li jista’ jigi użat mill-pubbliku kull darba li dawn ikollhom bżonn jivjaggaw lejn jew minn kwalunkwe post f’Malta u Ghawdex. Jekk wiehed joqghod iqis il-profitt li ser jigu generati mir-rotot, dawk il-postijiet li huma anqas popolari, ir-residenti jew dawk li jkunu ser iżuru dawn il-postijiet jew dik l-akwata, jispiccaw ibatu minn nuqqas ta‘ access. Jekk is-servizz tat-trasport pubbliku mhux ser jigi offrut anke bil-lejl, il-pubbliku generali, kif ukoll it-turisti mhumiex se jiddependu minn dan is-servizz.
Fondi statali diretti lejn is-sistema l-gdida tat-trasport ghandhom jinghataw prijorita meta jitqiesu l-impatti pożittivi li Malta kollha tista’ tgawdi minnhom. Fondi li huma allokati ghall-progetti li qed jaghmlu hsara lill-ambjent jew li mhux qed jigi użati kif suppost, ghandhom jigu allokati ghal dan is-settur, settur li qed jaffetwa l-hajja tal-Maltin.
Jekk Malta tilhaq l-ghan li tnaqqas l-ammont ta’ karozzi u l-kongestjoni mit-toroq Maltin, Malta tkun pass ‘il quddiem biex tilhaq it-tnaqqis fl-ammont ta’emissjonijiet karbonici, li l-gvern ikkommetta ruhu li jaghmel. Ir-riforma tat-trasport pubbliku trid tinkludi l-Euro 4 u l-Euro 5 bhala nollijiet tal-karozzi tal-linja. Karozzi tal-linja li joperaw b’inqas mill-istandard ta’ Euro 4, ma jghinx lil Malta tilhaq l-ghan taghha biex tnaqqas l-emissjonijiet.
Din ir-riforma hija opportunita’ tad-deheb biex il-gvern jindirizza n-nuqqasijiet preżenti fis-sistema tat-trasport pubbliku. Ghalhekk Friends of the Earth Malta theggeg lill-gvern biex jahtaf dan ic-cans u jippjana sewwa din ir-riforma sabiex Malta jkollha success darba ghal dejjem f’dan il-qasam.