€15 million traffic plan deemed ineffective within two months

New statistics presented in parliament have cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of a €15 million scheme announced by Transport Minister Chris Bonett to tackle Malta’s chronic traffic congestion.

The data suggests that the initiative will have minimal impact and could become obsolete within just two months of implementation.

Responding to questions from PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut, Minister Bonett confirmed that between 2018 and 2024, Transport Malta registered over 164,000 new vehicles—many of them second-hand—translating to an average of 64 new vehicles added to Malta’s already saturated road network each day.

The core of Bonett’s proposal is a ‘cash-for-licence’ scheme, which offers vehicle owners €25,000 over five years—disbursed in €5,000 annual payments—in exchange for relinquishing their driving licence and vehicle number plates.

If the entire €15 million budget is spent within a year, the scheme could remove a maximum of only 3,000 vehicles from Malta’s roads. At that rate, sustaining the initiative for five years would cost the public €75 million.

Sources within government told The Shift that the scheme has come under internal scrutiny, with both Transport Malta and the Finance Ministry urging Bonett to revise or scrap the plan altogether.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana is reportedly opposed to the initiative, describing it as a waste of public resources. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Robert Abela continues to support Bonett, reportedly insisting the Minister must be seen to be acting on traffic—even if the measures are largely symbolic.

“This is an ill-conceived plan that leads nowhere,” a source said. “It won’t reduce traffic, and its main beneficiaries will be individuals—mostly pensioners—who no longer drive.”

The Shift also understands that the Transport Minister is facing pressure from various sources, including the Finance Ministry and Transport Malta, to reconsider his approach.

The Finance Ministry has informed Bonett that securing further funding for the scheme will depend on a revised and more effective proposal.

According to the latest figures from the National Statistics Office (NSO), Malta had 445,711 registered vehicles by the end of last year.

While some improvements have been made to infrastructure, particularly through new arterial roads, these efforts have been offset by the relentless increase in vehicle numbers and drivers.