Traffic is getting steadily worse in Malta. The number of vehicles on our roads continues to increase beyond the infrastructure’s increasing capacity and we are experiencing congestion on our roads. This is negatively impacting our lives in a myriad number of ways, from increased pollution and exposure to physical and mental risk to increased spending in terms of time wasted and fuel. In other words our quality of life has taken a knock.  

Various governments have tried to find a solution to the issue of road congestion but their efforts have been in vain as members of the general public are increasingly opting to use private vehicles to get to their destination. 

Take a typical morning on a working day. Although one must appreciate the efforts made by Transport Malta officials to control traffic, one cannot but note that, rather than improving traffic efficiency, some are themselves causing congestion. A person who spoke to Voice of the Workers expressed her frustration when trying to get to her workplace in Valletta from Siġġiewi. She said that one day she left home at 7.30 a.m. and got to work at 9 a.m.  She spent at least 30 minutes stuck between Siġġiewi and Ħaż-Żebbuġ. 

Over and above this, foreign workers living here, who now number more than 50,000, are also having a great impact on our road infrastructure. This is adding to the stress on Maltese workers who have to leave home much earlier to make it to work on time. 

Students are currently sitting their O Levels and some parents are actually taking the precaution of driving their children to these exams two hours early to make sure that they get there on time. You may think that this is exaggerated behaviour but, in light of the confusion on our roads, it may be wise to take such precautions. Better safe than sorry! 

All in all, there is no holistic plan and the road infrastructure is being developed without any consideration given to the welfare of the population. The Government is striving to upgrade the road infrastructure as it should have been upgraded years ago when, in truth, we should be building the roads of the future. We need to create a culture that embraces concepts that are unlike those we know today to better the lives and safeguard the health of our citizens.