‘I think it’s a no-go’: Prof. Maria Attard on night-time deliveries in Malta

Proposals to shift logistics operations to night-time in a bid to ease Malta’s daytime traffic congestion could create more problems than they solve, according to geography and transport expert Professor Maria Attard.

Speaking to WhosWho.mt, Prof. Attard expressed strong reservations about the idea, arguing that Malta’s densely built-up environment and narrow residential streets make night-time deliveries particularly problematic.

“I personally think it’s a no-go,” she said. Unlike larger countries, where freight transport can operate along highways or on the outskirts of cities, Malta’s logistics activities frequently take place within built-up areas, often in close proximity to residential properties.

“What we're really talking about is vans and trucks that are delivering at night whilst people are trying to sleep, in roads that are narrow and could potentially cause a lot of disruption during night-time because of noise,” she explained.

Prof. Attard drew comparisons with night-time roadworks, which frequently generate complaints from residents disturbed by construction activity during sleeping hours.

She argued that delivery operations could produce similar disturbances, particularly through the opening and closing of vehicle doors, the movement of trailers and the loading and unloading of goods.

“It's a similar type of noise. It's a similar disruption. Is that what people want? I don't think so,” she remarked.

The professor also raised concerns about the cumulative impact of noise pollution on residents' well-being, noting that Malta already experiences significant noise exposure in residential areas. She stressed that additional noise could further undermine residents' quality of life and the overall liveability of Malta's urban environment.

The fact that certain impacts are not adequately documented, she added, does not mean they do not exist.

Would fewer delivery trucks simply mean more cars?

Beyond the potential disturbance to residents, Prof. Attard questioned whether moving deliveries outside daytime hours would achieve the intended objective of reducing congestion.

She argued that freeing up road space by removing commercial vehicles could simply encourage greater private car use, rather than delivering a lasting improvement in traffic conditions.

“We want to remove the trucks from the road during the day. For what? For more cars? Do we really want more cars?” she questioned.

Pointing to Malta's experience with road widening and infrastructure investment over the past decade, she argued that increasing road capacity has not resolved the country's congestion problems.

“Haven't we learned from the last 10 years of road widening and road building? What did it produce? More cars and more congestion,” she said.

Prof. Attard referred to the transport planning concept of induced demand, whereby increasing road capacity can encourage additional vehicle use, eventually absorbing the extra space created.

Under this principle, expanding roads does not necessarily result in sustained reductions in congestion, as motorists may respond to the additional capacity by making more journeys or choosing to drive instead of using other transport options.

She also highlighted the opposite phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the disappearing traffic effect, whereby reducing road space available to private vehicles can lead to changes in travel behaviour and a reduction in traffic volumes.

“If we had to remove space for cars, cars disappear. It's called the magic of disappearing traffic,” she explained.

Similarly, she argued that increasing space for vehicles can generate additional demand, as more motorists are encouraged to make use of the available road capacity.

A few years back, then-CEO of Express Trailers, Franco Azzopardi said that shifting to night-time logistics might help offset the steep economic costs being incurred by logistics and transport operators: expenses which might need to be transferred onto the consumer.

“The economic costs of congestion are becoming too high especially as e-commerce becomes increasingly more popular. Whilst higher demand means a bigger load on logistics operators, more logistics operations mean more traffic and loss in terms of fuel and man-hours. It is high time to assess the possibility of night operations,” he had said.

Watch the full interview here.