Mgarr harbour in Gozo was gridlocked yesterday, adding to the frustration of motorists due to the blistering sun of a July summer afternoon. And the worst thing about it is that it is not even the weekend when there is usually a greater influx of cars. It is anyone’s guess what will happen if the situation does not improve before the Santa Marija weekend.

The havoc at the harbour began in the early afternoon when the cars wanting to board the ferry to cross over to Malta were queuing in the road leading down to the harbour since construction work is under way on the quay. Half way up the road, right in front of the supermarket, there is a bottleneck and cars which had just arrived by ferry to Gozo could not drive up the road because of the cars queuing to leave the island.

Motorists who spoke to The Malta Independent said the cars were bumper-to-bumper, with some cars arriving on the ferry not managing to disembark due to the traffic jam. It took some motorists more than 45 minutes to drive up the hill just off the Mgarr harbour.

They said they wonder what the situation will be like on the weekend, when more people cross over to Gozo for their break or, worse still, in the Santa Marija period, when Malta becomes deserted and Gozo’s population booms.