Car Ownership Increase in the Maltese Islands

Problem narrative

“If all the vehicles were placed in a straight line, it would stretch for over a thousand kilometers, more than the distance from Malta to Athens”. (Structure Plan Team, 2002)

According to the National Statistics Office the number of cars in Malta has exploded during the last forty years. Back in 1960 there were only 12,000 cars on the road. Nowadays the 300,347 cars occupy over two million square meters of land, generate tons of toxic emissions a year, kill tens of people, consume millions of gallons of fuel, discharge oil into deep water wells, and ultimately end in scrap yards. This constitutes a big problem when considering that Malta has one of the highest population densities of the world (1,250 inhabitants/km2 which is always increasing) and more than 23% of the surface is being built-up. This increase in motor vehicles is bringing further intensive constrains on the remaining resources including, water and land (NSO, 2010).

Behavior over time/reference modes:

Personal and commercial vehicles have increased in accordance with the increase in household income and a lowering in car costs. Increasing number of households, increasing number of young people holding a driving licence, and the lack of any alternative, have all fostered a Maltese society that embraces and aspires to car ownership(as seen in fig. 1 and 2). Walking still remains a chosen means of transport. Many bus users have transferred to car use over the past ten years, since little or no investment in this public sector has been made. Cycling and motorbikes are both popular for sport and leisure but they constitute a very low proportion of total daily trips. Considering Malta’s topography and climate for most of the year, this low usage probably reflects the evolving car culture, the poor condition of many roads, and the nature of the driving. Finally one should note that car ownership in Malta is not solely seen as a means of transport, but it offers freedom and is seen as a status symbol (MEPA, 2003).

Source: MEPA 2003

Source: NSO, 2010

Policies:

In 1989 The Malta Planning Authority (today MEPA) was set up and in 1990 it issued a Structure Plan Strategy for the Maltese Islands where it tackled the increase in car ownership in Malta. It is apparent that until recently there has been a lack of vision in the country concerning transport. Several attempts have been made over the past decade to set up a Transport Co-ordinating Committee with the main controversy being to whom the committee should report. However the most recent move towards coordinating transport matters came about in August 2000 when the amended Public Transport Act was published. Subsequently the Malta Transport Authority was set up in June 2001. This legislation brought together the four directorates of Roads, Public Transport, Licensing and Testing, and Traffic Management under this authority, thus solving the problem of decision making. The Transport Policy Whitepaper on Sustainable Land Transport was issued in 2003 to promote a sustainable mode of transport. However, there is still a lack of vision in the country concerning this issue. Following EU accession (1st May 2004) the MTA took part in 6th Framework Programme and other EU funded programmes such as COST and CORDIS, and is involved in elaborating the Structure Plan Review (EU CORDIS, 2009).

Study Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to understand the dynamics involved in the fast rate of increase of car ownership, and propose solutions. Targets related to the objectives should be thus set while policies have to be issued to meet them. This strategy is to support and contribute to the Government’s long-term objectives and help promote more sustainable development. Data gathered during studies can be inputted in a computer Transport Model to predict changes in vehicle ownership and number of journeys.

Questions that the study will address include:

Why should citizens choose public rather than private modes of transport? Which of the two modes is more feasible? How can public transport be made more efficient? How can traffic be reduced? Can investing in motorbikes reduce car ownership? Are there any other true options apart from using private cars (is walking or cycling really an option considering the amount of pollution in urban areas and the high risk of fatal accidents)? Are electric cars a possible solution? Is car pooling an option, and if so how can this be encouraged? Are road networks good enough (especially in mostly urbanized areas)? How can MEPA encourage more parking space? Where can Park and Ride schemes complement a reorganized public transport system? How can people be kept informed, educated and involved?


Reference:

MEPA, 2003: Transport Topic Paper 2003
Available online: http://www.mepa.org.mt/lpg-structureplanreview
[Accessed on 20th Jan 2009]

MEPA, 2003: Transport Executive Summary 2003
Available online: http://www.mepa.org.mt/lpg-structureplanreview
[Accessed on 20th Jan 2009]

NSO, 2010: Motor Vehicles: Q4/2009
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Available online: http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=2669
[Accessed on 20th Jan 2009]


EU CORDIS, 2009: European project development - energy and environment
Available online: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp6/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP6HomePage
[Accessed on 20th Jan 2009]

Structure Plan Team, 2002: Placing People First! Times of Malta
Available online: http://www.mepa.org.mt/news-details?id=274
[Accessed on 20th Jan 2009]