‘Stuck In Traffic You Were, And In It You Shall Remain’: Adrian Delia Criticises Lack Of Traffic Measures In 2023 Budget
PN MP and former party leader Adrian Delia has criticised the Budget for 2023 for failing to properly address the traffic problem in Malta.
“Stuck in traffic you were, and stuck in traffic you shall remain,” Delia said while reacting to the Budget on social media.
“Only one paragraph in the Budget is dedicated to traffic: which practically says that we will keep regressing every day…”
“Because there is nothing thought of, nothing planned, no investment. Except that certain services will not be provided before 9am!”
Following his initial reaction, he also uploaded a photo this morning while stuck in traffic, captioning it as the “morning after the Budget”.
To curb the growing issue of traffic congestion in Malta, this is what was planned for the 2023 Budget:
The removal of traffic bottlenecks has been and remains a priority as this will reduce traffic congestion in urban areas, giving prominence to more sustainable transport as well as promoting further modes of transport including cycling and pedestrian facilities.
In order to address congestion and pollution, from 2018 up till July 2022, €472 million from the national budget have been spent towards upgrading the road network. This upgrade is part of a holistic approach towards sustainability, air quality, reduction in cars and traffic congestion, and modal shift.
Predictions from studies carried out on seven major projects (St Andrews Road, Buqana Road, Marsa-Ħamrun Bypass, Santa Luċija Underpass, Tal-Balal Road, Marsa Junction, and Central Link Project) indicate that this will lead to a reduction of 14% in costs of congestion over a number of years.
Malta will further aim to include investment in roads as part of potential investment under the Cohesion policy for the upcoming programming period to ensure a sustainable and well-connected network.
What do you make of Delia’s comments?
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