Green Travel Plan for the Msida Campus,
University of Malta
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
© Institute for Sustainable Development, University of Malta
Attard, M., Bajada, T., Gauci, P., Camilleri, L., Spiteri, C.
2011
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Background information
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) requested the University of Malta (UoM) to
prepare and submit a Green Transport Plan (GTP) in line with current and projected developments
occurring at the Msida Campus. In July 2010 the Institute for Sustainable Development was
commissioned to carry out the work and formulate a GTP for the University in collaboration with the
Estate and Works Department at the University.
The terms of reference provided by MEPA required the UoM to commit to the following:
• Provide incentives for public and staff to arrive by public transport and other sustainable modes of
travel through the preparation of a GTP to the satisfaction of MEPA
• Improve public transport links to the West and East of the University Campus
• Improve internal pedestrian links
• Promote a car free environment including the ring-road
• The removal of the existing parking area currently encroaching in Wied Ghollieqa, in order to
reinstate the land to the original, natural state.
The Green Travel Plan is a dynamic document which is reviewed regularly to ensure that the most
efficient means of employing green travel are assessed and adopted.
Existing situation on Campus
Public Transport
The UoM is serviced by conventional as well as direct services from various locations around the island.
Since 2004, the University has had a number of direct services operating from various villages and towns
around the island. This has improved significantly the accessibility of the University by public transport.
Over the years the patronage on these routes has increased. Non-direct services are also easily available
close to the campus through a cluster of bus stops located within a few minutes’ walk of the Old
University Entrance.
The public transport reform which shall be in operation in July 2011 will see a considerable change in the
provision of public transport to the campus through the development of a major interchange at the
UoM/Mater Dei Hospital site. In addition to direct services, the introduction of the Express Services will
connect the campus through fast services to other major interchanges. Each of these interchanges
provides a one interchange possibility with other villages and towns in the surrounding areas.
Parking facilities, traffic and pedestrian activity
There are currently a total of 1,392 parking spaces distributed around the Msida Campus. Car parking
facilities at the University are designated to three user groups:
• academic staff, who are allocated yellow spaces;
• administrative staff, who are allocated white spaces, and
• students, who are allocated blue spaces.
Parking permits are issued to individuals and these must be displayed on the vehicle. These permits
allow daily monitoring of parking and clamping of illegally parked vehicles.
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In November, 2010 peak time traffic surveys in and out of campus and parking areas were carried out.
The patterns observed reflect the distribution of staff and student parking across the campus. While
student parking is distributed throughout the University, staff parking is more concentrated in specific
areas.
The single largest body of traffic enters the
campus through the Gateway Building. This
site is well serviced by a roundabout linking
the UoM to the Mater Dei Hospital and the
Birkirkara By-pass (Triq Dun Karm Psaila). The
highest peak is registered between 07:00 and
07:45, which reflect the staff working hours
and closer to 08:00 the start of lecturing
hours. A stable traffic pattern is then
observed throughout the morning peak until
10:00.
For the afternoon period private traffic starts
to increase right after 15:00, particularly at
the Gateway Building, but starts to increase
towards 17:00 at which time staff working
hours finish. Traffic exiting the site reduces
dramatically after 17:30. During this peak
one can also observe a similar pattern of
activity at the Old University Entrance with
car traffic entering the site. This could reflect
the evening students entering the University,
mostly by private vehicles.
The University has five pedestrian access points, three of which are shared with vehicles. The Gateway
Building and the Old University Entrance sites are the most popular access sites as these are also
serviced by public transport. Despite a number of direct bus services being located near the Gateway
Building, it is evident that there is still a high dependence on non-direct services to arrive at the
University during the early morning with the highest number of pedestrians accessing the campus from
the Old University Entrance at 07:45. This time coincides with the start of lecturing hours at 08:00 with a
lower peak through the Gateway Building at 07:30, which coincides with staff working hours and arrival
of direct bus services on the hour.
With regard to the afternoon peak increasing pedestrian patterns occur at every hour coinciding with
the end of lectures on the hour and therefore students leaving the University. The highest recorded
number of pedestrians is at 15:00 and this gradually decreases over time.
A sustained peak between 16:45 and 17:00 at the Gateway Building entry/exit would suggest the exit of
staff from the University at the end of their working day. This however is a relatively low peak when
compared to the Old University Entrance entry/exit. This latter site continues to provide for a lot of the
pedestrian activity throughout the day.
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It is important to note also that at the Old University entry/exit there is a mix of land uses including
restaurants, cafes and retail which would attract a number of pedestrians to the area all throughout the
day. This might have a significant impact particularly on the afternoon peak when staff and students
(mostly students) are making use of facilities and services offered outside the campus.
Off-campus observations
Safe pedestrian access is limited. The Old University entrance provides the safest access for pedestrians.
It is close to the pedestrian infrastructure, including an underpass for people using the bus stops at the
Tal-Qroqq Junction. Some pedestrians do not appear to be making use of the underpass and prefer to
jay walk across the junction. The bus stop at Triq Dun Karm Psaila, in front of “Sphinx Pastizzeria‟ is
probably the most unsafe location for pedestrians. Instead of using the underpass some pedestrians
prefer to cross Triq Dun Karm Psaila, which requires them to deal with dangerous obstacles. Pedestrians
seem to be either unaware of a safe crossing a few meters east of the stop, or are unwilling to use it.
Occasionally pedestrians walk from Swatar and Birkirkara, unsafely crossing the bypass Triq Dun Karm
Psaila, to access the campus.
The Gateway Building entry-exit is the most popular with pedestrians. Apart from being the site where
the scheduled bus service routes to Mater Dei Hospital and UoM stop, this site is the drop-off point for
University Residence students and for people driven to and from the campus in private cars. The
facilities in this area are known to be excellent with wide footways and pedestrian crossings.
The pedestrian access points known as Ta’ Calamatta and il-Wied are not designed and intended to be
used as access points. They are essentially short cuts which are known to be used by people who live or
park their private cars in the San Ġwann / Kappara area and then walk to the campus.
In addition to the above, the number of injury accidents occurring within 500m from campus amounted
to 33 between the period 2005 and 2006. The highest percentage incurred slight injuries however 24%
of those injured were pedestrians. Half of these suffered grievous injury. Over the two year period
under study no fatalities were recorded in the area making the roads relatively safe.
User Survey
There are three distinct groups of people travelling to and from University. Each group is characterized
by different mobility needs and use of transport modes.
Group1: academic staff
This group are most reliant on private transport and have complex travel patterns throughout the day
and week;
Group 2: non-academic staff
This group is dominated by a large proportion of people dependent on private transport however with
simpler travel patterns which are mostly fixed to strict working hours.
Group 3: the student population
This group is still very much dependent on public transport despite the complex travel patterns they
display throughout the week.
The mobility patterns displayed by all three groups are a direct result of:
• the provision and management of parking infrastructure on site;
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the flexible working conditions of academics that are not restricted with fixed office hours; and
the students that do not stay at University much beyond lecture time.
The survey highlighted also the
problems encountered by staff and
students during their journey to and
from the University. It is evident that
irrespective of mode, staff and students
want to arrive at the University as
quickly and safely as possible. The
concerns for car users are congestion
and parking at destination whilst travel
time is critical for bus users. Pedestrians
on the other hand are concerned with
the level of safety provided for them at
the moment. These all point towards
improving the quality of transport
services to the University. This seems to
be the key challenge for students and
staff to change their travel behaviour to
more sustainable transport modes.
One important measure highlighted over the past few years in transport planning is the introduction of
car sharing practices. Despite no formal structures exist in Malta with respect to car sharing practices,
University students and staff were asked about car sharing in the future. Only 24% stated that nothing
would make them car share whilst there was a positive response to finding a suitable partner, provided
that there is a ride home in the case of emergency and dedicated parking available to those car sharing.
In conclusion, there is a willingness to
change given that are cost savings to be
made, a lessening of the environmental
impact of transport on the University
and the country in general and an
increase in convenience.
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The Green Transport Plan
The University must ensure that proposed measures are tailor-made for its employees and students in a
manner which lessens costs (both financial and environmental), are sustainable in the long term, and
are seen as an improvement in quality and convenience over the current available transport services /
systems. The measures that are being proposed in this plan include the following:
Short term measures:
• Setting up of a GTP Committee
• Appointment of a Green Transport Plan Coordinator
• A targeted information campaign to promote the use of public transport
Medium term measures:
• A fleet management and logistics plan
• Investigate the potential of a dedicated group transport service for the University
• A car-sharing database to promote car sharing practices
• Enhancing the parking scheme within the campus
• Request the Government to upgrade the Tal-Qroqq Junction underpass
Long term measures:
• Develop proposals for Government to develop safe routes to University
• Develop pilot projects for enterprise in the area of travel planning
In addition a number of public information facilities will be provided to support and assist students and
staff in their travel needs. These include:
• Targeted information campaigns
• Web Information
• Travel planning counselling services
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