The new central link plans which were submitted earlier this week are no different to the plans that were proposed in December 2017, a spokesperson for the Attard Residents Environmental Network told The Malta Independent.

Furthermore, the spokesperson said that the government, contrary to what it is claiming, has not consulted the residents on this project.  The only such form of consultation, the network said, was a meeting in Parliament with the parliamentary committee where Minister for Transport Ian Borg pledged that he would hear out the network’s alternative proposals.  However, the very next morning it was announced that there were five contractors who had bid for the tender of the project; meaning that when Borg made his assurances to the network, the tender for the project had in actual fact already been published.

The changes that the Attard Residents Environmental Network are referring to were announced in a statement by the Ministry for Transport which pointed out that the project will bring a 13% improvement to the air quality of the area and that less agricultural land will be taken up by the roadworks required.

Furthermore, the statement said that 700 indigenous trees will be planted, giving a net increase of 550 trees in the area, whilst more than 10 kilometres of pavements and a 280% increase in cycle lanes would encourage people to use alternative means of transport.

The spokesperson said that they had put forward several alternatives to the central link project and that they were waiting for the Attard Local Council to take a stance on the project. 

Asked by this newsroom what the said alternatives were, the network spokesperson explained various measures that could be taken, including the implementation of the government’s transport reforms which were announced in 2016 and the implementation of the traffic management measures that the network had proposed and that were in the project itself, namely the removal of the intersection near the Zebbug Hill and the arrangement of the traffic lights up the road from San Anton Gardens.

Furthermore, the spokesperson said that the network had proposed a tunnel running from the beginning of this proposed area to the end but this, they said, had been immediately shot down due to its potential cost, an action which in the eyes of the network proved that the government “does not have the money to do this project as it should be done” and that they just want to get it done as soon as possible so they can simply say that it is done.  Aside from this, the network also put forward the option of an elevated bypass which would stand on pillars and would greatly reduce the loss of agricultural land.

If these options are either shot down or fail, then the network had proposed that a bypass is built away from the village, using roads in the neighbouring countryside that are already there but are currently in disrepair.  This would be a bypass that is 200 metres away from the village and could provide for some reforestation as well.  With such a proposal, the spokesperson said, everyone should be happy as the government’s aims of “facilitating the developers of the quad towers” in Mriehel would be satisfied, the residents directly affected by the roads passing right under their doorstep would also be satisfied and furthermore the flow of traffic would be aided just the same.

Asked if such a proposal was a bit hypocritical since the network had been championing an environmental cause, the spokesperson replied that this was a solution to “take the best out of the worst” and that the truth is that the government refuses to be reasonable and had “given up” trying to solve the traffic problem in the long term.

This is the proposal that the network is now “banking on”, the spokesperson said before reminding that the government has a lot to gain from working on such a proposal as it would satisfy all those who are to be affected by this statement.

The Central Link plans have now been opened for public consultation by the Planning Authority.