CC interview
The Malta underground: The journey towards a mass transit system With bumper-to-bumper traffic flaring tempers, and the contentious proposals for a Gozo car tunnel swiftly approved in Parliament, calls for a revolution in the way we see transport have recently made the headlines. Structural engineer and architect, Dr Konrad Xuereb, has been one of the most notable advocates for change, proposing a metro system as the solution to our current woes. Here, Rebecca Anastasi finds out more.
G
etting from A to B in Malta has become a fraught affair. The steady, and incessant, increase in traffic shows no signs of abating, with frequent road works exacerbating the congestion on the roads. Moreover, figures released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) earlier on this year confirmed that, by the end of March 2019, the stock of licensed motor vehicles stood at 387,775. This means that 84 per
cent of the entire population owns, and uses, a car, and, on an island measuring just 27km by 14.5km, it is evident that we’re heading towards gridlock. To counteract critics clamouring for an urgent solution, Government announced a series of road widening exercises, though these have been met with chagrin, by those who point out that this will not solve the issue of congestion, and with dismay by
environmentalists who point to the resulting destruction of centuries-old trees. Moreover, the Gozo car tunnel project, which recently received backing from Parliament, has also raised red flags, with concerns over the loss of pristine natural land, and the persistent over-reliance on road transport. In reaction to the challenges, in an opinion piece published in The Times of Malta on 29th July 2018 – and followed up with a series of similar articles over the past 11 months – structural engineer and architect Dr Konrad Xuereb suggested it may be time for Malta to finally embrace a mass transit system
“We’ve done a lot of pro bono work, and a lot of research to get the details just right. Malta needs a mass transit system, and we think the idea of a metro solves it.” 44
JUNE/JULY 2019