Road safety bureau still missing after two years

More than two years have passed since Malta’s Transport Ministry pledged to establish a Road Safety Bureau aimed at addressing the country’s escalating road safety challenges. Despite the initial commitment and even the assignment of an individual to the role under a “special employment” agreement, there is still no concrete evidence that the bureau will become operational any time soon.

According to an official government document released in April 2023, the bureau was intended to be fully functional by the end of that same year. However, as of April 2025, there has been no progress made public regarding the actual launch of this long-promised institution.

This prolonged delay has raised red flags among stakeholders, particularly within Malta’s insurance industry, which views the lack of action as a worrying sign in a country grappling with rising road accidents and chronic traffic congestion.

Insurance industry raises alarm

Sources within the insurance sector have expressed growing frustration at the government’s failure to act. Representatives have warned that, with road collisions and fatalities on the rise, the absence of a dedicated bureau to address road safety undermines national efforts to reduce the number of traffic-related injuries and deaths.

In September 2023, the Insurance Association publicly urged the government to follow through with its plans. In a strongly worded statement, the association called the Road Safety Bureau “a vital component of a comprehensive road safety strategy that has been promised for a long time but remains largely unaddressed.”

The association argued that a centralised authority is needed to collect and analyse traffic data, oversee enforcement measures, and develop preventive strategies to improve road safety. Without such a structure, Malta lacks the institutional coordination necessary to tackle its transport problems effectively.

Transport Minister reiterates empty assurances

In January 2024, four months after the Insurance Association's statement, Transport Minister Chris Bonett once again assured the public that the Road Safety Bureau would be launched “soon.” He claimed that the government would unveil detailed proposals “in the coming weeks,” raising expectations that an announcement was imminent.

However, no further updates have been provided since that statement. There has been no follow-up from the ministry, and no draft legislation, funding allocation, or operational framework has been published.

The repeated delays have drawn criticism from policy experts, traffic analysts, and members of the opposition who accuse the government of making hollow promises while failing to address pressing infrastructure and safety concerns.

Special employment appointment under scrutiny

Adding to the controversy surrounding the stalled Road Safety Bureau is the appointment of architect and Labour Party candidate Audrey Testaferrata De Noto. In 2023, she was hired through a “special employment” agreement between Infrastructure Malta and Transport Malta, bypassing the usual public application process.

The employment arrangement, obtained by investigative outlet The Shift through a Freedom of Information request, revealed that De Noto was transferred to Transport Malta despite the bureau not being operational. The government defended her appointment by citing her “specialised skills in the field,” although no specific qualifications or experiences in road safety were publicly outlined.

Her appointment has sparked concerns of political favouritism, particularly given her visible ties to the Labour Party and her role as a candidate in the 2022 general election, where she garnered just 99 votes.

A history of controversial statements

De Noto is no stranger to public scrutiny. In 2014, during a television interview while she was serving as a senior official at Transport Malta, she sparked public outrage by claiming that Malta’s traffic congestion problem was merely a “perception.” Her comments were widely ridiculed, with critics accusing her of being out of touch with the everyday experiences of commuters.

Following that episode, her role shifted between various government agencies. When Infrastructure Malta was founded in 2018, she was reassigned there and later rebranded herself on social media as “Perit Audrey” in a move perceived as an effort to boost her public image ahead of the 2022 election.

While at Infrastructure Malta, she faced criticism for allegedly using her government post for self-promotion, including frequent appearances in public updates and social media posts. After the election, she was reassigned once more—this time to the Building and Construction Agency—before ultimately ending up at Transport Malta under the special agreement.

Growing concerns over political appointments

De Noto’s trajectory highlights a broader concern within Maltese governance—the use of politically connected individuals in key public positions without transparent recruitment procedures. Critics argue that this undermines merit-based appointments and dilutes accountability, especially in critical sectors like transportation and infrastructure where expertise and public trust are paramount.

Transparency advocates have called for all government roles, particularly those related to safety and planning, to undergo rigorous selection processes involving public calls for applications, objective evaluations, and independent oversight.

The growing need for institutional reform

Malta’s road infrastructure and safety planning have long suffered from fragmentation, with multiple entities such as Transport Malta, Infrastructure Malta, and local councils often overlapping or contradicting each other. The proposed Road Safety Bureau was meant to serve as a central, independent authority to bridge these gaps, ensure coherent strategy implementation, and enhance policy coordination.

Experts say that without such an authority, efforts to collect road accident data, introduce better traffic enforcement mechanisms, and promote safer road designs remain disjointed and ineffective.

A well-functioning bureau could also liaise with the education sector to promote road safety awareness among students and collaborate with local governments to identify and fix high-risk zones. In short, the bureau was seen as a much-needed reform that could anchor a modern, data-driven approach to transport safety.

Road safety trends in Malta

Recent statistics show that Malta’s road safety challenges are becoming increasingly acute. Data from the National Statistics Office indicates a consistent rise in both traffic injuries and fatalities over the last five years. In 2023 alone, the country saw over 18,000 reported traffic accidents, with a noticeable uptick in fatal collisions.

Urban congestion is also worsening, particularly in areas like Marsa, Msida, and Birkirkara, where bottlenecks and poor infrastructure planning have led to regular gridlock. Analysts say the lack of coherent urban transport planning has created a vicious cycle of more cars, longer travel times, and greater risk of accidents.

Accountability remains elusive

Calls for greater accountability in public administration have grown louder, especially as citizens become more aware of how opaque hiring practices and project delays hinder national development. For many, the failure to deliver the Road Safety Bureau is symbolic of a broader issue: a lack of commitment to follow through on promises and an overreliance on political loyalty over competence.

Opposition MPs have questioned the government in Parliament multiple times about the status of the Road Safety Bureau, but have received vague or repetitive responses. Civil society groups have begun urging the Auditor General to review the handling of the project, including the appointment of De Noto and the associated budgetary implications.

What lies ahead?

Despite repeated assurances, there is no visible progress on establishing the Road Safety Bureau. The Ministry of Transport has not published a timeline, allocated funding, or outlined its intended functions. The longer the delay continues, the more difficult it becomes for the government to restore credibility on the issue.

Until the bureau is officially launched and properly staffed through transparent procedures, Malta’s road safety challenges will likely persist. The hope for a central authority to drive road safety reform appears, at least for now, to be stalled in traffic.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the prolonged delay in launching Malta’s Road Safety Bureau not only reflects a failure to deliver on a critical government promise but also underscores deeper issues of transparency, accountability, and political patronage in public administration. As road accidents continue to rise and public frustration mounts, the absence of a central authority dedicated to road safety leaves a dangerous gap in policy coordination and enforcement. Without swift and transparent action, including a merit-based appointment process and clear timelines, the government risks eroding public trust and compromising the safety of its citizens on the nation’s roads.

FAQs

What is the Road Safety Bureau supposed to do?
The Road Safety Bureau is intended to centralize road safety efforts, collect data, enforce policies, and develop long-term strategies to reduce road accidents in Malta.

Why has the Road Safety Bureau not been launched?
Although the bureau was promised by the end of 2023, no concrete actions or updates have been issued since early 2024, leading to speculation about bureaucratic or political delays.

Who is Audrey Testaferrata De Noto?
She is an architect and former Labour Party election candidate who was appointed to Transport Malta through a special employment agreement, raising concerns about transparency.

Was there a public call for De Noto’s position?
No, De Noto was appointed without a public call, and her recruitment has been criticized for lacking transparency and merit-based selection.

What was De Noto’s controversial remark in 2014?
While serving at Transport Malta, she claimed during a TV interview that traffic congestion in Malta was merely a “perception,” a statement that was widely mocked.

What role did De Noto play at Infrastructure Malta?
She served as a senior official and was accused of self-promotion, later rebranding herself on social media as “Perit Audrey” ahead of the 2022 general election.

Why is the insurance industry concerned?
Insurance firms worry that without a centralized body like the Road Safety Bureau, road accident rates will continue to rise, increasing risk and costs across the sector.

How many accidents occur annually in Malta?
In 2023, Malta recorded over 18,000 traffic accidents, including a growing number of fatal collisions, particularly in urban areas.

What has the government said recently about the bureau?
In January 2024, the Transport Minister said proposals would be shared in “the coming weeks,” but no further updates have followed.

What are the implications of the delay?
The continued delay raises questions about government accountability and its commitment to addressing one of Malta’s most pressing public safety concerns.