Roads: Malta will have a 3-year plan based on quality, sustainability, responsibility, safety – new CEO
Infrastructure Malta will launch a three-year business plan in the coming weeks which will serve as something of a work plan for the country’s road agency, said Infrastructure’s new CEO. Malta Ivan Falzon. The Malta Independent on Sunday.
The business plan will cover three years and will be based on having the figure of €100 million per year, with Falzon saying in an interview that it is planned to be launched towards the end of November.
Falzon, who was appointed CEO of Infrastructure Malta in July, described the business plan as a “working plan” and as an assurance to the country that the government’s commitment to invest in the country’s infrastructure will continue.
He said that stakeholders such as the local councils will be involved so that a list of priorities can be drawn up, and other agencies such as Enemalta and the Corporation for Water Services will be involved so that their works will be simplified in any plan that Infrastructure Malta. she has
Falzon explained that the plan is based around four principles: quality, sustainability – both in terms of how the roads can be more sustainable in their design but also in terms of ‘ which materials and production techniques are used – accountability, and safety by design.
Regarding this last point, Falzon noted how Malta had a high record of deaths on the roads last year, and said that there must be more work with the enforcement entities in order to create more discipline on the roads.
Asked about the aspect of road safety, and if in addition to the need for more enforcement and discipline, there is a question of the infrastructure not being safe for road users, Falzon pointed out that across Europe – including in Malta – 80% of road accidents that are either fatal or result in life-changing injuries are due to excessive speed or negligence such as driving under the influence or not paying attention to the road.
“Every vehicle is a weapon that can hurt people… we have to remember that,” says Falzon.
He added that we must look beyond the deaths on the roads and think of the people whose lives have been totally changed by a road accident.
“I remember when I was working at Mater Dei Hospital, and we would see people who would have to spend the rest of their lives – some 50 years for example – in a wheelchair due to a traffic accident,” he says.
“Let’s not only look at the people who died, but also at those who saw their lives changed as a result of injuries in traffic accidents. This has an impact on the country itself: an economic impact but more and more a social impact on the victim and their families,” he said.
“The numbers that show the cause of the accidents do not lie, and we must keep those statistics in front of us every day we get out of bed, since the social impact of these accidents can be enormous,” he added. .
Alternative transport: Key routes for the routes included in the new IM work plan
Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia last month caused some anger after he said The Malta Independent that the government’s main objective when building infrastructure is to make it safer and more efficient for cars, and that alternative transport methods such as bicycles are an afterthought “only if there is space”.
Asked if he feels that this is a short view of things, Falzon said that while he was not familiar with the minister’s comment, the brief he has from the minister is “to design the infrastructure for the people, and then be up to people to use the best means of transport for them.”
“When you see what Infrastructure Malta has done in the past and what it is doing now, you can see that we are – within our limitations – exploring alternative ways of creating active mobility spaces: places with more greenery and more space for pedestrians or others. road users,” he said.
Falzon mentioned the Tac-Cawsli project in Żejtun as an example of this.
“I think we have to be creative and open to have more of these spaces. The line must be that, yes, we want to design for cars because the reality is that most Maltese use cars, but we want to create the appetite – the possibility – for people to explore other means of transport, including collective ones,” continued Falzon.
Asked if today’s infrastructure gives people the opportunity to use alternative transport methods safely, noting that communities such as the one representing cyclists do not feel this is the case, Falzon stated that this department has improved in recent years.
He said that he had met with Rota – the main lobbying group of cyclists – the previous week and added that it was agreed that the country needs more holistic planning when it comes to cycling.
“Instead of making an end-to-end cycle lane on every street, we want to create routes from point A to point B. We can say for example that in the next three years our plan is to create a cycle route between Mosta and Valletta as that is the most traveled route, with ancillary facilities along the way,” he said.
These routes will be characterized by segregated or safe lanes, and will not necessarily be passing through main arterial roads.
“We had a very clear discussion: enough studies, we have this amount of resources and we want to use them to create a new route. Then when we finish the first route, we can work on another one that will have the necessary return on investment,” he said.
A new unit will be set up for better communication between the road agency and local councils
One of the main criticisms of Infrastructure Malta is that it does not consult with community stakeholders before proceeding with a project.
Asked about whether the local councils in particular should be consulted more, Falzon agreed that this was an issue that was brought up several times in a SWOT analysis that he carried out upon his arrival at the agency.
He said that one of the changes that he is looking to implement and that will go before the board of directors of the agency in the coming days is for the creation of a unit specifically in charge of having better communication and coordination with the local councils and with other agencies and regulators. .
However, Falzon pointed out, there comes a point where decisions must be made. He used the Central Link project as an example, saying that various governments have spent some 50 years listening to and studying the project.
“Someone has to make a decision at some point, and today everyone gives credit to Infrastructure Malta for taking the decision that resulted in the Central Link. Yes, you have to listen, and Infrastructure Malta has changed the design several times, but you have to make the decision,” he said.
He noted that being decisive has become something associated with arrogance, but he reiterated that at some point a decision must be made.
Falzon added that there is nothing wrong with someone giving an alternative view to a project, but he said that it is a source of frustration for him when someone agrees to a project and then changes the road in the middle of it.
“There is nothing wrong with admitting that we are not perfect and saying that this stakeholder could have been right so let’s change things to go towards a solution that they brought – as long as the only agenda is for the common good, not for politics. reasons,” he said.
“Demonizing direct orders is not the answer”
Regarding the accounting theme, one that was mentioned in Falzon’s business plan, it was pointed out that Infrastructure Malta has distributed millions in direct orders over the last few years, which has provoked criticism that the agency’s money is not being distributed fairly and through appropriate procurement procedures – particularly because these direct orders seem to always go to the same few contractors.
Asked for his views on this matter and whether Infrastructure Malta will change its practices, Falzon expressed his disagreement with the criticism.
He said that the pool of people who do the type of work they need is limited, and that if you were to take a list of the people in that pool and compare it to the list of those who receive the funds you would the same.
He said that the direct orders amount to approximately 20% of the expenditure for the acquisition of Infrastructure Malta.
“Direct orders are not illegal. There must be a justification for them, but it is part of the government’s procurement procedures,” said Falzon.
He went on to say that often a direct order is given due to circumstances that arise in the middle of a project being carried out, at a point where it is not feasible or efficient to resort to the standard tendering procedure as this stops the project. for months.
The ongoing airport junction project is one such example.
“The project is currently on hold due to archaeological findings. The Superintendency for Cultural Heritage gave us a method statement that emphasizes the conservation of the finds, but it costs more than the original tender foreseen. Therefore it is necessary to either stop the project and publish an offer and risk having another contractor involved with overlapping responsibilities that can create problems in itself, or negotiate with a justification for what is needed to be added to the works as a direct order, ” he said.
“I think the criticism comes because we are being transparent and publishing all the information associated with this in time and with all the necessary details,” he added.
Without prompting, Falzon turned to the more general issue of government procurement, saying that after nine years working in different government entities – in the past he managed the Water Services Corporation and the Mater Dei Hospital – if he had to make one recommendation it would be to review the way public procurement is carried out.
“It’s too much of a burden at the moment: it costs us time, money, resources, and creates a huge headache,” he said.
A new procurement system must also take into account cases, such as in road works through cases like the one mentioned above, where the funds will need to be paid in a very short time, he said.
“Demonizing direct orders is not the answer. If it is justified in the context of the situation – and therefore it can win time and avoid delays – then I will sign it,” he said before adding: “But I also support renewal in effective procurement procedures and I think this must be a priority for -government.”