Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that a mass transport system would only be viable if introduced alongside strict measures to curb car use, such as substantially higher licence fees and charges for public parking.
He also said that both PL and PN must agree on these “punitive” measures.
“A mass transport project will cost billions of euro which means the people will have to make good for it if we get it wrong,” Caruana warned on Popolin.
“The numbers must justify the expenditure, but someone must also have the courage to tell people that they will have to leave their cars at home.”
“A metro or tram project cannot be feasible if people don’t use it, so if we go down that route, we must tell people that they won’t be able to park without paying or that their car license fees will increase substantially.”
Shadow Finance Minister Adrian Delia acknowledged that such measures may be unpopular with the public but said this could be overcome if both the PL and PN reach an agreement, preventing either party from politically capitalising on them.
“If this happens and both parties reach an agreement on the punitive measures, I’ll start believing that such projects could be feasible,” Caruana responded.
Meanwhile, Delia refuted Caruana’s use of the word ‘punitive’, arguing they should be described as “policy choices that will change the way we commute.”
