3 3.1 SETTING THE VISION “Transport is fundamental to our economy and society. Mobility is vital for the internal market and for the quality of life of citizens as they enjoy their freedom to travel. Transport enables economic growth and job creation: it must be sustainable in the light of the new challenges we face.” (European Commission White Paper: Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient system, 2O11) Transport brings significant benefits to us all, strongly influencing our prosperity but, on the other hand, transport can have nationally adverse impacts on people, the economy and the environment through accidents, pollution and its contribution to climate change. Modernising the national transport system is a prerequisite for its successful integration within the European transport system. It also contributes significantly towards improving the quality of life, maintaining high economic growth and safeguarding the environment. This strategy recognises the importance of continuing to develop the transport system to shape and support the country, its culture, its prosperity and the quality of life, but is also fully cognizant of the external impacts that demand-led transport development may have on the Maltese environment (built and rural), on health, on the economy and on society. As a result, within the context of both National and European policy, visions and strategic frameworks, the vision for transport in Malta based on general government policy and expert input is: ‘To provide a sustainable transport system which is efficient, inclusive, safe, integrated and reliable for people and freight, and
3.2 OVERVIEW OF THE STRATEGIC GOALS Based on the analysis of strategic documents in Chapter 1, as well as the transport diagnosis and trends summarised in Chapter 2, the vision is further developed by identifying six strategic goals which define what the transportation system should achieve. These goals are based on sustainable development principles considering economic, social and environmental factors. Sustainable development of the transport system has long been on the agenda, as reflected in the working paper on Sustainable Land Transport 45 in 2OO3. Building on the objectives established in this paper as well as further research, policy review and the analysis summarized in the previous chapters, the strategic goals have been further developed for all modes of transport as follows: • Transport to support Economic Development • Transport to promote Environmental and Urban Sustainability • Transport to provide Accessibility and Mobility • Transport to support Social Development and Inclusion • Transport to remain Safe and Secure • Transport to work towards Improved Public Health These goals will not only inform the development of measures and subsequent projects brought forward for appraisal, but they will also form the basis of a framework against which all proposed interventions, projects and measures are appraised and, ultimately, prioritised. For each of the above, a number of aspects have been developed in relation to Chapter 2 and the Existing Conditions and Data Diagnostic Report 46 to better explain the rationale behind these goals. These are outlined in the following sections.
which supports attractive urban, rural and coastal environments and communities where people want to live and work: now and in the future’
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Sustainable Land Transport: White Paper 2OO3, Malta Transport Authority: 1O year transport strategy from 2OO4-2O13 Transport Malta (2O15), National Transport Strategy – Existing Conditions and Data Diagnostic Report 2O14