Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg launched EIT’s European Mobility Hub, a joint project between Project Aegle Foundation, MCAST and Valletta Cultural Agency, through the Valletta Design Cluster. It aims to promote positive and sustainable change in our transport culture and to create a platform for collaboration among all stakeholders in the sector.
Minister Ian Borg said, “The government is 100% behind any initiative that aims to promote positive change in our transport culture. EIT’s European Mobility Hub is an awareness-raising exercise about mobility issues in our country, and encourages the positive change that the government is also striving to promote, with one united goal – to improve quality of life for the people, to improve accessibility to transport and to improve the health of our environment. Transport belongs to everyone, as mobility is an essential part of life and is crucial for communication and a life well-lived. Whether we walk, drive, cycle or use public transport, we are all road users, and we must all collaborate for a better future. The government wants to make decisions that benefit the people, and we are committed to continue doing our utmost to bridge the gap between the roadworks planned on paper and the transport needs of our country.”
Minister Borg made reference to the upgrade currently underway on Malta’s road network, with the goal to eliminate bottlenecks together with introducing safe facilities for alternative means, such as segregated cycle and walking tracks, pedestrian and cycling bridges and facilities for users of public transport. He added, however, that this cannot work if we do not also have a modal shift, stressing the importance of multimodality, while referring to the government’s constant investment in the public transport service, and financial incentives for the public to use buses and to shift to cleaner private means of transport. Minister Borg also mentioned the ferry services and referred to the planned service extension to cater for more localities as an alternative by sea.
“Less congestion means less time wasted, more time with the family, improved air quality and so many more benefits. We no longer plan in isolation; we need to think, plan and deliver holistically. We are committed to continue improving our transport sector towards a better quality of life for all people living in Malta and Gozo,” concluded Minister Ian Borg.
The Hub will be hosted by a consortium of three partners that represent the three communities of the ‘Knowledge Triangle Integration (KTI)’. Project Aegle Foundation (PAF) will be the lead partner representing the industry community in Malta, while the Valletta Cultural Agency, through the Valletta Design Cluster, represents the community of start-ups and neighbourhood groups and MCAST (Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology) represents the academic and education community.
Project Aegle Foundation will raise awareness and disseminate information about all the activities and opportunities of the EIT Urban Mobility and will facilitate the networking with all the organisations sharing the same goals.
MCAST aims to facilitate the innovation community in line with its established mission statement to provide “universally accessible vocational and professional education and training with an international dimension, responsive to the needs of the individual and the economy.”
The implementation of this EIT hub, which brings together local and international stakeholders, is a great opportunity for the exchange and dissemination of knowledge focusing on educating and inspiring mobility solutions for the 21st century. MCAST encourages interested parties to participate in this hub to maximise the knowledge sharing while minimising the knowledge gaps of this community.
The Valletta Cultural Agency, through the Valletta Design Cluster, will guide the open-innovation activities of the project, guided by a holistic, user-centred, and participatory approach. The Valletta Design Cluster will also serve as the physical location for the project´s work.