Bus journeys in Malta three times longer than car trips, report says.

The average vehicle travel lasts 14 minutes, but bus users spend 44 minutes to reach their destination.

The average bus travel in Malta takes three times as long as a vehicle drive, despite the fact that most inhabitants live only a few minutes from their nearest bus stop, according to a new transport master plan issued last week.

The National Transport Master Plan 2030 sheds light on Malta’s bus fleet, which has failed to attract passengers away from their vehicles despite significant investment in the service.

Although the bus network is widely accessible and public transport hubs are becoming more popular, “Malta’s lack of dedicated bus lanes results in increased bus travel times and reduces punctuality in peak-hour periods,” according to the report.

The analysis points out that, although travelling at nearly comparable speeds during peak hours, normal journey durations for automobile and bus riders are vastly different.

While a typical bus ride lasts 22 minutes, “when the time spent walking to and from bus stops, waiting for a bus, and transferring between buses are taken into account, the average duration increases to 40-45 minutes,” according to the survey.

Finally, the master plan states that “the average duration of a bus trip (44 minutes) is over three times as long as a car trip (14 minutes),” with buses stalled in traffic alongside cars.

The paper warns that “bus journey times will increase, bus service reliability and punctuality will deteriorate, and an undesirable modal shift from the bus back to the car will likely result” unless action is taken.

Most bus stops do not meet 2009 design standards

Malta’s small distances, with an average journey distance of just 6.1km (“much lower” than most other EU nations, according to the survey), make it perfect for active mobility, while the country’s “well-planned” bus network ensures that bus riders are adequately served, the report states.

Three-quarters of the population lives within five minutes’ walk of their nearest bus stop, which is usually no more than 450 metres away. However, the public transport system has various other issues.

Less than a third (29%) of bus stops have shelters, leaving passengers to wait in the blistering heat or pouring rain, and only a few (4.5%) provide real-time information displays.

And many bus stops still do not satisfy the design standards outlined in national guidelines published in 2009, resulting in buses not having adequate space to properly dock as they stop to collect passengers.

Meanwhile, efforts to create dedicated bus lanes, which would allow buses to avoid traffic, have been “quite limited in scope and not without strong public reaction.”

According to the research, the majority of the new bus lanes are on dual carriageway routes. However, buses are now largely congested on single-lane highways with on-street parking.

Measures to help buses avoid congestion here would involve the removal of on-street parking during peak hours, according to the master plan.

Adopt maximum, not minimum, parking limits

More broadly, the paper contends that Malta has gotten it wrong when it comes to parking. Unlike several places in Europe that have enacted maximum parking limitations, Malta has so far taken the opposite path, establishing minimum levels.

“This is contrary to what is happening in many urban areas around Europe,” the research states, highlighting how “an oversupply of parking spaces with no restrictions encourages further car use”

 The master plan pledges to change this by instituting maximum parking limitations “to discourage excessive provision of parking spaces”.

According to a 2021 survey, only 2% of all car trips require paid parking, with 72% parking on the street and the other 19% parking in allocated parking spots provided by their business or destination.

Meanwhile, planning restrictions requiring developers to provide a minimum number of parking places had minimal impact in congested locations.

The increased availability of central area parking spots has swiftly filled up, and the approach roads leading to these locations have unavoidably grown more congested,” the research states.

Read more on Straightwinfortoday.com