Transport authorities are far from fulfilling enforcement duties, PN shadow minister says

In his speech in parliament during the discussion on the financial estimates for the Transport Ministry, Mark Anthony Sammut said the regulatory and enforcing bodies are a far cry from what they're supposed to be

By: maltatoday.com

Nov 20 2024
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Transport authorities are far

Malta’s authorities are currently far from the regulatory and enforcing bodies they’re supposed to be, the PN’s shadow minister for transport has warned.

In his speech in parliament during the discussion on the financial estimates for the Transport Ministry, Sammut said that people within Transport Malta who are truly committed to working correctly end up shunned and leave the public sector.

With regards to lax enforcement, he made reference to a car hire company in Gudja that is currently occupying parking spaces in the small town, leaving residents livid.

Sammut, who is from Gudja, questioned how it is possible that a car hire company can operate without a garage. He also asked what the use of having an authority is if it doesn’t enforce the law.

The PN MP further spoke about Malta’s traffic problem, stating, “I think it’s clear to everyone that this government has failed to manage our roads, and today we’re worse off than we’ve ever been.”

He blasted government’s €700 million expenditure on road upgrades that were meant to reduce emissions, noting that Malta is now in a worse position because no action was taken to reduce the number of cars on the country’s roads.

This, the shadow minister explained, has led to a 9% increase in emissions locally and more time in traffic for commuters.

On alternative transportation methods, Sammut said that government cannot expect people to walk, use bikes or motorcycles if Maltese roads are not safe.

Here, he recalled a driver license scandal, where then-transport minister Ian Borg forwarded names of test candidates that had to be “taken care of” to ensure they passed their exam.

Sammut also called for a revision of the driving license test, questioning, “How is it possible that one examiner fails an average of 87% of candidates and another fails 16%? This makes no sense and indicates that something is wrong.”