Transport Minister Joe Mizzi this afternoon called a press conference to announce what measures the government will be taking in preparation for this Monday as school season restarts.

After mentioning a long list of measures which this government has already implemented to reduce problems related to traffic, Joe Mizzi said that for this Monday, the government's plan is to have more people managing traffic in key areas in a coordinated effort between Transport Malta, the Malta Police Force and LESA.

He said that LESA would be helping out by providing 50 workers to help the police force with traffic management. The Minister repeatedly reminded journalists present that "the traffic problem has been persisting for a lot of years."

"The circumstances are what they are. We are working hard to tackle the issue but the problem of traffic will never be solved," the Minister said apologetically.

Quoting statistics, the Minister said that more than 40 million passengers  made use of the public transport in 2015. There was a 20% increase in passengers using the Tallinja Card.

As for this Monday, the Minister said that the traffic is expected to move slower than usual, even at the Coast Road. Mr Mizzi said that those who want to be at their place of work or for school on time, should start their journey earlier. He encouraged those who can car pool to do so.

Asked about the increased presence of the police and traffic wardens, the Minister said that the main aim to have wardens is for the traffic to flow easily, not to punish those who break the law.