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7 Resourceful Transport Ideas For Malta That Won’t Cost The Earth

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Maltese roads are more congested than the arteries of a seasoned pastizzi addict, and it’s high time we start addressing the problem today without continuously resorting to fantastical (and expensive) space-age solutions.

Traffic related problems contribute to a costly loss work hours, stress and health issues – negatively affecting our quality of life – not to mention the damage all that air pollution does to the environment.

Here are a few savvy suggestions that won’t break the bank, but could well help us break our bad habits.

1. Subsidize sea transport for Three Cities residents

Think about how close Vittoriosa Marina is to Valletta’s Grand Harbour. It’s pretty much just a swim away from one dock to the other on the opposite side. Now think about how long it would take a Three Cities resident to reach the Capital after leaving their Southern Harbour home during rush hour­ – through gridlocked Corradino Hill, Marsa, Floriana… Yikes. 

On the other hand, the ferry takes about seven minutes, and is possibly the most spectacular way to commute. The Upper Barakka Lift is situated just a short walk away from the bus station, meaning you can catch a connection bus to your final destination easily. 

A discounted ferry pass for all residents of the Three Cities would be ideal, in exchange for them not using their cars for bafflingly tedious car journeys.

Grand Harbour Marina Valletta Fort St  Angelo Wiki Hq

2. Ecourage the revival of the Luzzu

The crowd-pleasing colourful Maltese luzzu could help ease the dreaded traffic situation and overcrowding on public buses in the tourist saturated Sliema and St Julians area. It would be great if a nationwide campaign could be launched to encourage catching one of our beautiful repurposed fishing boats to get to your destination at a pleasant leisurely speed.

There would need to be ample exposure to the service, which of course already exists, in Spinola Bay particularly. It would be a wonderful memory of Malta for tourists to go back and say they went out to dinner every night via a rainbow coloured wooden boat! 

We must remember that a vast majority of people come to Malta expecting to see quintessentially Maltese things. And now that we don’t have our yellow bus to fall back on, it’s high time we embraced their still-functioning old sea-dog cousin – the luzzu.

Luzzu

3. Spearhead the renovation of Birkirkara Train Station

This won’t solve any traffic problems, but it will drum the idea home that we survived for years without our trusty cars!

The last remaining train carriage from Malta’s railway days was carted off in a sorry state to be “restored” by the council last week. It’s a shame it had to get that way and should act as a reminder to take more care of our exciting history. The Birkirkara Train Station building is so old that it reads “Birchirchara”, engraved on the old stonework, and would make a fantastic Transport Museum for the town to be proud of, that will attract tourists and locals alike.

The old station would be the perfect place to muse over memorabilia and photographs of our transportation methods from yesteryear. An old yellow bus installation complete with religious niċċa and wire bell ropes would be awesome for today’s schoolchildren to see, as would a karozzin simulator and the spruced up (or lovingly rebuilt) old railway carriage, complete with immersive sounds and scents of the steam train era. 

Train Carriage

4. Invest In Public Water Taxis

Seriously, we live on a tiny island, I’m surprised more people don’t get to work by jet ski! Private water taxis do operate, mostly around The Grand Harbour and Marsamxetto areas, but they’re not nearly as common as they should be. 

A small fleet of public-sector owned speedboats leased out to a private firm could be just the ticket. They don’t even have to match and can be purchased second-hand!

Running a boat is pricey – so we’d expect relatively high fares to match – but if for whatever reason need to get from one end of the island to the other in record time, a speedboat taxi service booked via mobile app is where its at. With pinpointed “stages” from a handful of specific pick up points on the coast, it’s worth considering, and could potentially be the most fabulously OTT way of turning up to meet your friends for Sunday lunch in Marsalforn. 

Water Taxi

5. Invest In CCTV systems for white cabs

Unlike private taxi companies such as eCABS, which operate through a low-cost fixed travel price – setting the bar in revolutionising the way we get about, “white cabs” registered with Transport Malta are legally supposed to make use of fare-calculating metres with fiscal receipts. It’s safe to say that it’s still commonplace to come across taxi drivers that insist on coming up with random fares on the spot. 

Presently, an in-vehicle CCTV System is suggested by Transport Malta but not compulsory – owners may choose whether to have this device installed in their taxi or not. 

Both taxi drivers and passengers should have the right to feel safe from crime, and perhaps compulsory CCTV cameras would help revitalise and restore some faith in the flailing sector. 

Taxi

6. Introduce a bicycle safety course 

Hands up if you can honestly say you learned to confidently ride a bike on the treacherous Maltese roads. No? Didn’t think so. Bicycle road-safety courses are pretty much commonplace all over Europe. They’re the equivalent of driving lessons for those who’ve chosen an alternative to the confines of a fuel-guzzling motor vehicle. 

Although non-compulsory, they should be absolutely 100% gratis for anyone who’s willing to make the switch but hasn’t a clue where to start from. 

We could start with just a couple of qualified professional instructors on a part-time basis to get the ball rolling. After that, one can only hope that private cycling schools will flourish, ushering in a new, greener wave of “Ġibt il-liċenzja!” Facebook statuses.

Cycling

7. Make Wifi free on all bus routes

What could be a more beautiful matrimony of Maltese addictions than the decision to combine our obsessive compulsion for social media and tendency to overdose on car transportation? At this stage in the day, when our bus system is more reliable than it’s ever been – with recently increased night buses, a great website and even a free-to-download Tal-Linja app – strangely, our traffic problem is worse than it’s ever been. 

Perhaps the powers that be need to bite the bullet and give the public the most desirable yet simple of services of all. Free wifi. 

I have a dream that one day, white-collar professionals will ride the buses over our fair land in the same way that wide-eyed language students do. Think about it – would you rather start your day staring at the wheel or catching up on inspirational podcasts, memes and DDK Youtube videos? Thought so. Seriously though, let’s make #surfandridemalta a thing.

Malta Bus

BONUS: Free School Transport 

Somewhere along the line we went very, very wrong. When did parents become chauffeurs?! School run traffic is not only infuriating and stressful, it keeps hard-working parents from doing their jobs, losing out on work hours.

Apart from the price, one of the reasons parents opt out of school transport is that they’re over protective of their little ‘uns. Which is understandable of course! But all it takes is a walk down to the bus stop to see your kids off, to start off with. If kids in London or New York City can do it, so can we. 

Plus, where else are kids meant to be kids? I’m sure they’d much rather start the day making friends rather than having to start their mornings listening to you moan and groan about being late. Again.

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Which of these budget friendly transport proposals do you think would be the most effective? Let us know in the comments on Facebook!

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