For the past couple of months I have tried to fathom out what the roadworks in the vicinity of Rabat, Mgarr, Mosta, Zebbug and their environs are all about. I have also tried to make some sense of what alternatives the residents of these wretched areas have been given so that traffic can flow smoothly. Unfortunately, however, I think I need some accurate explanations from the authorities, because I have found no answers to my questions.
Driving home after work has become an endless traffic jam from Attard (Mount Carmel Hospital area) all the way up Saqqajja hill. Being stuck in a traffic jam for something close to an hour on various occasions shows that there is something wrong with the traffic arrangements. The answer seems obvious to me… the roads have all been uprooted at one go.
Yet why, now that half the work is done, is there still a problem? There is a problem because traffic queues form in Rabat because of that little roundabout the council decided to put at the top of Saqqajja hill, and also because traffic from Mgarr and St Paul’s Bay wanting to go to Zebbug has to be routed up Saqajja hill as well. Congestion is also caused because those coming from Zebbug do not give way to traffic on the roundabout indicating in the direction of Saqajja hill. The exits from the roads coming from Zebbug and Mtarfa/Mosta are extremely dangerous, and discourteous drivers do not help this already aggravated situation. Once the Mtarfa/Mosta exit is open, it will not take long for an accident to happen.
What is strange is that I have seen no warden or traffic policeman in these areas, in the rush hour, waiting patiently to give tickets to the various undisciplined drivers. I also cannot understand why Saqqajja hill, with its cracked surface and potholes, has not been resurfaced as well. If any road needs to be given importance, it is Saqqajja hill.
It would have be wise had the long-awaited Mtarfa by-pass been ready before all these arrangements took place, thus giving residents living in the area an alternative route home.
Today was the umpteenth traffic jam and I decided to change route. I am fed up of sitting in a car that moves slower than I can walk. I took off to the new road leading to the Mgarr-Mosta roundabout. No luck there either! The road has been narrowed, there is a pavement the size of a public garden, lots of pretty plants and a very clear single white line. Traffic ran slowly and I was drawn to crane my neck to see what was up. It was an excavator driving down the road. Could it be another ten minutes wasted of another precious day? Yes it was! There was no room for anybody to overtake and those who did so broke the Highway Code and risked their lives as well as the lives of those in the other lane. But road frustration is very possible with such ridiculous road planning. I finally got to the road to Mgarr (which is closed) and chose to pass from Dwejra up a country road full of potholes. It was an acceptable compromise to get home five minutes earlier than usual.
It is sad to see that the residents of these areas have been put through so much hardship to get home. Traffic management leaves much to be desired and so does planning. It is not just about cutting ribbons and inaugurating roads. It is all about planning and about traffic control. Planning roads is probably no easy job, but transforming them into an obvious death-trap is irresponsible.
My final plea is to get those wretched roads done!
L.Galea
Dingli