Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia has insisted that traffic jams are a good thing because they prevent serious car accidents.
As summer holidays come to an end and children return to school, nationwide traffic jams are once again clogging the country’s roads.
“Think about it – if cars aren’t moving, the chances of them being involved in a serious accident decrease drastically. When was the last time you heard of a fatal accident happening in a gridlock? No speed, no crash. It’s basic physics,” Farrugia told Bis-Serjetà.
“As I always say, we have to make a choice. Do we want to get to work on time, or do we want to not die horrifically in a car wreck? We can’t have everything,” he added.
The minister encouraged people to consider other advantages of being stuck in traffic.
“When my tax-payer-funded Tesla gets stuck in traffic, I take the opportunity to get some work done, or if it’s the end of the day, watch an episode of Emily In Paris on the screen in the back of the car. I have a driver of course – also tax-payer funded – but anyone can afford a chauffeur if they work hard enough.
“I also like to take the time to meditate and reflect on what a clever boy I am, as my parents often tell me.”
The minister also expressed his confidence that making public transport free would eventually alleviate the traffic problem.
“We all know Maltese are cheapskates. So even if a trip that would take you 20 minutes in a car takes two hours by bus, people will still choose the latter. It’s not like people who aren’t ministers have to be on time to things, anyway.”
Finally, Farrugia announced that in response to criticism levelled at the Gozo Fast Ferry for the changes to its schedule, the company would now be offering a single trip from Malta to Gozo at 3 AM on Tuesdays.
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