My comment on La Delirante's blog regarding this post.

Hehe I wanted to write about this on my own blog but didn't because I don't have time but since you blogged about this, I'll take the opportunity to list my thoughts in this comment.

Transport in Malta is crap. Doesn't matter if you use a bus or your own car;

1. Too many cars in such a small area.

2. Roads are most of them crap.

3. Spending a few minutes on Maltese roads, you notice a Management by Crisis situation.

4. No need to mention the state of public transport.

There are just way too much cars. I commute to Msida every day and usually it's during rush hours. Good God. And as you mentioned, what about lifts? Take a look at a couple of cars stuck in traffic. The probability that the driver is the only one inside is very high. What's the use of having a ton of steel occupying so much space to transport just a single person?

Roads in Malta are crap. Most of the time, when I'm on the road (as a passenger since I'm not legal yet), the driver wastes a lot of thinking power avoiding pot holes. This is a distraction. The number of times someone was on going to collide with us while trying to avoid a pot hole is countless.

And even the new roads, they're not much of a quality either. Take a look at the tarmac surface after a few weeks/months of being laid down. It becomes "polished" or whatever the word is. You know, braking distance doesn't count only on the speed you're traveling at, but also to the amount of grip the roads provide. Again, I've had the experience of skidding, and not just once. Especially on rainy days, it's incredible how the car can be turned into a slingshot so easily.

Management by crisis. My personal favourite. I don't know what the ADT is testing drivers for. But oh God eh. Drivers need to be taught how to think. It's clear, if you spend a few minutes on the roads, how the drivers can't think ahead of an event. They just think in the short term (which is usually "get to destination FAST!). Drivers need to be taught to anticipate.

I'm turning 18 soon. A lot of my friends are already thinking about what car to buy, not to mention the ones who already have a car (even when they still have to get the license). I won't be buying one as soon as I turn 18. I'll get the license so that I can drive, but the car will have to wait. It's too expensive to maintain, not to mention the high buying price, compared to other EU countries. And really, I spent a considerable amount of time on the roads not to be excited about driving here. It's chaotic.

The alternative; I try to stay away from public transport as much as possible. It's always inefficient (as in, time spent from A to B) compared to a car, even if it's the best public transport system in the world. My first choice to get around is lifts from family or friends. It's even better now, since I have a lot of friends turning 18 right now. Then, if there's no other way, I have to depend on buses/taxis.

Oh and by the way. Cars need a major up-haul here in Malta. Too much karrakki on the road. Not to mention the amount of pollution these old cars create. I'm no expert, but at least new cars don't throw out obnoxious gases which makes it impossible to breath. Really, sometimes in Summer, while driving in a car without A/C, we'd have to pull up the windows because of some jerk in front of us.

However, as it is always the case in Malta, buying a new car to replace old age ones is expensive. The Government, instead of lowering the price to import cars so that it encourages people to buy new cars out of free will, decided to make a quick buck out of it by increasing the licenses according to the year the car was manufactured. So until you can afford a sky high license, you'd keep your old car since it's cheaper than buying a new one.

PS: I love cars, for me it's not just about getting from A to B. I love the thrill (which you get a lot here in Malta because you feel lucky to have arrived safely). That said, the general public is only interested in commuting and in my opinion, a better way of doing so has to be formulated.