NGO ROTA has issued a statement reacting to one of the Labour Party’s most recent proposals: a €5,000 grant for larger family cars, and €12,000 for electric vehicles.“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 there is currently 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,” it said. “Larger vehicles take up more public space, create more pressure on on-street parking, and make streets more dangerous for children and pedestrians.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)It added that research shows pedestrians hit by SUVs are significantly more likely to die than those hit by standard cars, particularly children, due to higher bonnet designs and larger blind spots.ROTA said that what Malta needs instead 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,” it said. “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.”What do you make of the NGO’s statement? •