Workshop organised by the University of Malta Geographical Society
A discussion workshop was held on the 10th of May at Student
House, at the University of Malta. The workshop entitled "Which Way to
Go? The Future of Transport Policy in Malta" was organized by the University
of Malta Geographical Society (UMGS) combining the visit of Prof. John
Adams (Geography Department, UCL) to the Geography Division of the University.
The workshop started with a presentation by Prof. Adams and Ms Attard,
who spoke about the OECD's Environmentally Sustainable Transport Project
and the Maltese transport situation. The presentation was followed by a
very lively discussion whereby issues of congestion, traffic management,
public transport, road charging and alternative modes of transport were
raised and discussed among the fifty participants. These came from the
academic and governmental organizations, amongst which, the Planning Authority,
the Malta Transport Authority, Malta Police Force, the EU Directorate within
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry for Justice and Local
Councils. Other non-governmental organizations included the Public Transport
Association, Friends of the Earth (Malta), the Foundation for Transport
Studies and a representative of the Nationalist Party. The aim of the workshop
was to find common grounds on which to build a sustainable transport policy
for the future. The workshop concluded with a general consensus among the
participants that the direction of policy should be towards sustainability,
and that it is achievable gradually given there is a plan by which government
departments and authorities would follow. Geography students also had the
opportunity to present an exhibition of the current "Town Centres Project",
which included information about transport and land use issues in Victoria,
Gozo. A light lunch concluded the very productive and pleasant morning.
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