This week, Kamra tal-Periti (KTP) presented their proposal for the Msida Creek area, proposing a nature-based solution consisting of human-centric streets and a wooded green area as an alternative to Infrastructure Malta’s plans for the mega flyovers which will dominate Msida. KTP’s visuals have been met with widespread support from the public and civil society. Infrastructure Malta (IM) quickly replied saying it was “too late” to change their plans. However, KTP’s proposal is just the latest in a string of alternative proposals which civil society groups have illustrated and discussed with IM over the past three years. Regardless of these discussions, IM appears to have always been determined to proceed with the mega flyovers plans since their inception, which will suffocate and further fragment the Msida community in favour of more vehicular traffic.

Since sending an open letter to the Prime Minister and the Ministers for Environment, Transport and Health in 2021, Friends of the Earth Malta, Rota, Moviment Graffitti, and various resident groups have consistently offered viable, improved alternatives to the current model of urban transport being pushed forward by IM. Projects like the Msida Creek project in its current form commits the country to a future of car-centric transport. It is absurd that as Europe and the rest of the world is dismantling flyovers, as they are now recognised as outdated “solutions” that worsen issues such as; respiratory diseases, over-reliance on private cars, heat island effects and high emissions of greenhouse gases – Malta continues to push forward with short-term solutions from the 1950s which have been proven to fail.

For every major project, IM issues a call for “consultation”, where residents and civil society members have the opportunity to express their concerns and reservations or offer alternatives to their proposals. Civil societies have presented in-depth feedback and alternative solutions to this project from the very beginning, but suggestions have always fallen on deaf ears. Thus, IM CEO Ivan Falzon’s comments that the KTP’s proposal is ‘too late’ and ‘a desperate attempt for media attention’ is a clear refusal to address the issues. This is not too uncharacteristic of IM, sticking to the status quo of listening but having no real intention to accept or integrate constructive feedback into the project. In essence, consultation exercises appear as if they are carried out as nothing more than a tick-box exercise.

Despite some cosmetic changes, IM’s Msida Creek megaproject, approved by the PA in October 2023, still lacks basic connectivity for alternative transport users, including pedestrians, bus users and cyclists. The project has fundamentally wrong objectives, inviting more through-traffic in the middle of a residential and urban area, even going against the government’s €35,000,000 commitment to create a bicycle-commute network in the central region of Malta.

We positively note the recent offer by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works, Dr Chris Bonett, to meet KTP to discuss their proposal, and hope that the government recognises that there is still time to take two steps back, and fundamentally change the desperate Msida Creek megaproject in favour of a project rooted in the correct fundamentals. As NGOs active on the subject matter, and with experts among our ranks, we also reiterate our openness for further dialogue around our alternative plans presented over the past years and invite the politicians to take this golden opportunity to walk the talk; to remain close to the people, to listen and most importantly to adjust.

Organisations:
Moviment Graffitti
Rota
Friends of the Earth Malta

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“Mhuwiex tard wisq” – NGOs jinsistu fuq reviżjoni fil-pjanijiet tal-proġett tal-Imsida fil-kuntest ta’ snin sħaħ ta’ konsultazzjonijiet 

Matul din il-ġimgħa, il-Kamra tal-Periti (KTP) ippreżentaw il-proposti tagħhom għall-proġett tal-Imsida. Huma qed jipproponu soluzzjoni msejsa fuq in-natura, li tinkludi masġar u toroq li jpoġġu lill-bniedem fiċ-ċentru, bħala alternattiva għall-pjanijiet tal-Infrastructure Malta li min-naħa tagħhom qed jipproponu flyovers massiċċi li jiddominaw ’l-Imsida. Il-pubbliku u s-soċjetà ċivili laqgħu b’mod pożittiv il-pjanijiet ippreżentati mill-KTP. IM minnufih wieġbu u qalu li “issa tard wisq” biex ibiddlu l-pjanijiet tagħhom. Iżda l-proposta tal-KTP hija biss l-iktar waħda riċenti minn sensiela ta’ proposti alternattivi li ġruppi fi ħdan is-soċjeta ċivili ppreżentaw u ddiskutew mal-IM matul l-aħħar tliet snin. Minkejja dawn id-diskussjonijiet, l-IM jidhru li mill-bidu nett baqgħu jinsistu li jkomplu bil-pjanijiet tagħhom tal-flyovers massiċċi. Dawn il-flyovers se jiffavorixxu l-vetturi filwaqt li jispiċċaw jifgaw u jaqsmu lill-komunità Msidjana. 

Minn meta Friends of the Earth Malta, Rota, Movement Graffitti, u għadd ta’ gruppi tar-residenti bagħtu ittra pubblika lill-Prim Ministru u lill-Ministri tal-Ambjent, tat-Trasport u tas-Saħħa fl-2021, dawn l-għaqdiet u gruppi baqgħu, b’mod konsistenti, joffru alternattivi aħjar u iktar vijabbli mill-mudell tat-trasport urban li qed jiġi mbuttat mill-IM. Proġetti bħal dan tal-Imsida, bil-mod li qed jiġi propost, jorbot lill-pajjiż b’futur ta’ trasport bil-karozzi. L-Ewropa u l-bqija tad-dinja qed iżarmaw il-flyovers għaliex dawn huma meqjusa bħala soluzzjonijiet antikwati li jagħmlu iktar ħsara, fost kollox minħabba mard respiratorju, dipendenza żejda fuq il-karozzi privati, żieda fit-temperatura minħabba l-effett gżira ta’ sħana, u emissjonijiet ta’ gassijiet serra. Fl-istess waqt, b’mod assurd, Malta qed tkompli timbotta soluzzjonijiet tas-snin ħamsin li ma jħarsux fit-tul u li diġà fallew bil-provi.  

Għal kull proġett kbir, l-IM toħroġ sejħa għall-”konsultazzjoni” li permezz tagħha residenti u membri tas-soċjetà ċivili jkollhom l-opportunità li jesprimu t-tħassib u r-riservi tagħhom, u joffru alternattivi għal dawk proposti mill-IM. F’dan il-każ, mill-bidu nett is-soċjetà ċivili offriet suġġerimenti serji u soluzzjonijiet alternattivi għal dan il-proġett. Iżda is-suġġermenti dejjem waqgħu fuq widnejn torox. Għaldaqstant, bil-kummenti tiegħu, li l-proposti tal-KTP huma “tard wisq” u “attentat iddisprat biex jiġbu l-attenzjoni tal-midja”, il-Kap Eżekuttiv tal-IM Ivan Falzon qed juri biċ-ċar li qed jirrifjuta li jindirizza dawn il-kwistjonijiet. Din hi karatteristika tas-soltu tal-IM; jippruvaw ibellgħuhielna li qed jisimgħu, filwaqt li ma jkollhom ebda intenzjoni li jaċċettaw jew jinkorporaw ideat kostruttivi oħra fil-proġett. L-eżerċizzju ta’ konsultazzjoni jidher li jsir sempliċiment biex ikun sar. 

Apparti xi bidliet kożmetiċi, il-proġett massiċċ tal-Imsida tal-IM li kien approvat mill-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar f’Ottubru tal-2023, għadu nieqes mill-konnettività bażika għal min juża mezzi ta’ trasport alternattivi, li jinkludi persuni li jivvjaġġaw bil-mixi, persuni li jużaw tal-linja, u dawk li jsuqu r-rota. Il-proġett għandu għanjiet fundamentalment ħżiena, li fuq kollox iżidu iktar traffiku fil-qalba taż-żona residenzjali u urbana. Dan saħansitra jmur kontra l-impenn ta’ €35,000,000 li għamel il-gvern, li joħloq network għal min jivvjaġġa bir-rota fir-reġjun ċentrali ta’ Malta. 

Ninnutaw b’sodisfazzjon l-offerta riċenti tal-Ministru għat-Trasport, l-Infrastruttura u x-Xogħlijiet Pubbliċi, Dr. Chris Bonnett, li jiltaqa’ mal-KTP biex jiddiskuti l-proposta. Nittamaw li l-gvern jagħraf li għadu fil-ħin biex jieħu pass lura, u jagħraf il-bżonn kbir li jbiddel mill-qiegħ il-proġett massiċċ tal-Imsida għal wieħed ibbażat fuq sisien tajbin. Bħala NGOs attivi f’dan il-qasam, u b’esperti fostna, aħna nsostnu r-rieda tagħna għal iktar djalogu dwar il-pjanijiet alternattivi tagħna li kienu ppreżentati f’dawn l-aħħar snin. Nistiednu lill-politiċi sabiex jieħdu din l-opportunità tad-deheb u jwettqu dak li jwiegħdu; li jibqgħu qrib il-poplu, li jisimgħu tassew, u l-iktar importanti li jsewwu fejn hemm bżonn.

Għaqdiet:
Moviment Graffitti
Rota
Friends of the Earth Malta