Malta Should Adopt Singapore-Like Quotas For New Cars, Youth Council Proposes
Malta should follow Singapore in imposing a quota system on the maximum number of vehicles that can be used on the roads at any given time, the national youth council has proposed.
In its pre-Budget document, the KNŻ endorsed “the implementation of a system by means of which individuals engage in a bidding process in order to purchase and make use of a vehicle for a limited number of years, with this system being modelled off what has been introduced in Singapore in relation to car ownership.”
This was a reference to Singapore’s ‘Certificate of Entitlement’ scheme which allows bidders to compete against each other for the right to own and use a vehicle in the country for a ten-year period.
Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat floated this model as an idea to combat traffic two years ago but said he would rather incentivise people to use public transport by paying them to catch the bus.
Besides this scheme, the KNŻ has put forward a number of interesting proposals ahead of the next Budget, scheduled for 11th October.
They are calling for trials into a four-day working week, a concept that has been trialled in countries such as Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Japan. Earlier this month, Scotland confirmed it will trial the concept too.
They are also proposing the reopening of trade schools, a call recently made by the Union of Professional Educators, as well as a “considerable” increase in educators’ salaries and new civic education schemes.
Other proposals include a carbon tax, the rehabilitation of Manoel Island into a public green space, walk-in mental health clinics, more PE lessons, and an update to the National Sexual Health Policy.
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