NGO ROTA React To PL's €5,000 Large Family Car Grant Proposal

NGO ROTA issued a statement reacting to one of the Labour Party’s most recent proposals, that of a €5,000 grant for larger family cars, along with €12,000 should the vehicle be electric.

‘Everyone in Malta agrees that traffic is one of the country’s biggest problems’, the NGO said. ‘So why are we spending public money to make it worse?’

Despite the proposal, the NGO said that there is, in the meantime, no serious incentive for people to move away from car dependency.

‘More cars, and bigger cars, are not going to solve Malta’s traffic and parking crisis. They will make it worse’, the NGO said.

‘Larger vehicles take up more public space, create more pressure for on street parking and make streets more dangerous for children and pedestrians.’

‘Research has shown that pedestrians hit by SUVs are significantly more likely to die than those hit by standard cars, especially children because of the higher bonnet design and larger blind spots.’

The NGO said that what Malta needs is investment in safer pavements, protected cycling infrastructure, better public transport and safer streets for children.

‘We need a legally binding cycling strategy, stronger pedestrian protections such as presumed liability laws already used across Europe, and serious investment in active mobility.’

‘Countries that reduced congestion did not do it by encouraging larger private vehicles. They did it by giving people real alternatives to needing a car for every trip.’

#MaltaDaily