Gridlocked: How back-to-school traffic stalls Malta’s businesses and wellbeing

As the new school year approaches in the coming days, Malta’s roads transform into a chaotic scene of honking horns, hurried lane changes, and frustrated commuters. The problem is exacerbated by the steady increase in the number of vehicles on the island, with 63 new motor vehicles registered daily. As of July this year, Malta’s roads are home to a total of 440,163 vehicles, making the journey for parents, commuters, and businesses even more stressful.

In an attempt to address the traffic issues, the government introduced free school transport six years ago, benefiting around 30,000 students. However, even with this initiative in place, Malta’s traffic has only worsened.

Jonathan Borg, former CEO of Transport Malta, offered a potential solution last year when he advised in a video that road users should stagger their travel times. He suggested that avoiding the early morning rush, when possible, would help ease congestion.

Former Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia in an interview with Times of Malta also suggested this idea of staggering rush hour activity, after TM found that 70,000 vehicles pour onto the roads every morning during rush hour. Dr Farrugia thus suggested that deliveries of goods should be made before dawn, and that hospital appointments should be spread throughout the day, instead of all of them being concentrated at 7.30am.

But the reality of Malta’s traffic situation is that it forces people to significantly alter their daily routines. Parents juggle school drop-offs, with those who opt out of school transport having to brace themselves for the long commute. Commuters adjust their schedules, getting up earlier to beat the traffic, often pushing meetings to later in the day and staying late at work to make up for lost time. The knock-on effects on mental health and work-life balance are evident.

“There is no doubt that traffic congestion is directly and inversely related to productivity”

In comments to MaltaCEOs.mt, Kevin J. Borg, Director General of the Malta Employers Association, stresses the detrimental effect traffic has on productivity. “There is no doubt that traffic congestion is directly and inversely related to productivity,” he explains.

Mr Borg highlights how traffic congestion affects employee motivation: “productivity could drop as an indirect result when it affects employee motivation. Employers also face this, plus becoming increasingly inundated with requests for remote working, which may also cause disruption and varying impacts on productivity.”

He reflects on the summer’s road closures due to energy grid works, noting how it disproportionately affected transport and logistics businesses, many of which managed fewer deliveries per day. “Traffic has become a strong deterring factor for people to avoid visiting commercial centres known for high traffic density, thereby directly impacting businesses in certain areas,” Mr Borg adds.

He believes that tackling these challenges requires more than just individual efforts by businesses. “In my opinion, this should be tackled by the authorities in close consultation with business,” he says, advocating for the shifting of commercial traffic to off-peak hours. Mr Borg also supports the idea of shifting some cargo traffic from road to sea to alleviate congestion, suggesting the reintroduction of a Ro-Ro service to transport cargo between the Malta Freeport and Gozo with a possible stop in northern Malta.

“The issue must be tackled through a holistic approach—sporadic measures will be ineffective”

MaltaCEOs.mt also spoke with Marthese Portelli, CEO of the Malta Chamber, who also calls for a comprehensive approach to solve Malta’s traffic issues. “Malta’s heavy traffic situation and the congestion which is being experienced beyond the traditional peak hours has reached new levels. The consequences go beyond just inconvenience,” Dr Portelli warns. She highlights how the increased travel times are not only reducing business outputs but also inflating costs, which contributes to rising inflation. “Arriving late at work or for meetings is equally frustrating for businesses and employees alike,” she adds, noting the growing incidence of road rage, traffic accidents, and elevated pollution levels.

Dr Portelli stresses that the situation cannot be remedied with ad-hoc solutions and calls for a holistic strategy. “The issue must be tackled through a holistic approach—sporadic measures will be ineffective,” she asserts.

She also critiques the free school transport initiative, noting that its uptake has been low due to the lack of disincentives for those commuting by private car. “Operationwise, the ‘free school transport initiative’ has ample room for improvement,” she notes, suggesting that pooling students by zone rather than by individual schools would improve efficiency.

Dr Portelli further emphasises the need for policy reforms that move beyond expanding road networks. “Spending less time in standstill or slow-moving traffic will reduce stress on commuters as well as lower emissions from vehicles,” she says. Dr Portelli closed off her comments by saying that The Malta Chamber has been advocating for this issue for the past four years, proposing a set of recommendations for the government in both its Pre-Budget Documents and its Pre-National Election Manifesto of 2022.

In conclusion, Malta’s traffic gridlock is more than an inconvenience. It’s a drag on productivity, a source of growing stress for individuals and businesses, and an economic burden on the country. Both Mr Borg and Dr Portelli agree that only a comprehensive and collaborative approach, with the government and businesses working hand in hand, can resolve the issue and restore balance to Malta’s roads, businesses, and wellbeing.

This year’s plan

In order to mitigate these problems, Transport Malta has introduced a thorough traffic management plan aimed at addressing the expected increase in congestion, as announced during a press conference at the authority’s headquarters in Lija on 19th September.

Transport Malta will deploy 55 enforcement officers and 10 motorcycles, strategically placed to monitor traffic and respond quickly to severe jams or accidents. These specially trained officers will focus on maintaining order near schools during peak hours.

To minimise disruptions, Transport Malta has also halted the issuance of new permits for roadworks near schools, and local councils have been directed not to approve road closures between 6am and 9:30am on weekdays during peak traffic times, in an effort to maintain key routes during the morning rush.

Continuing a previous initiative, the authority will again provide a free tow truck service during school hours in congested areas, focusing on roads near schools and known bottlenecks.