From Dr A. Grech

There was no planning in the past, there is no planning now and none, it would appear, for the future. Or if there was, it has time and again been foiled by private interest. I mean, a meaningful strategy to provide meaningful solutions to the traffic situation in Victoria. The Ministry for Gozo is more bent on obtaining European funds tailor-made to suit the requirements of local contractors in road construction or reconstruction rather than tackling a critical problem that has become intolerable. The solution stares everybody in the face, but nobody seems to want to do anything about it. Why? Too many flys in the ointment by way of private interests as usual?

Even minimal circumspection demands the acknowledgement that Victoria needs a sort of bypass or ring road. Is it too expensive to construct? Certainly not more expensive than the much heralded San Lawrenz-Mgarr road. Or am I wrong about this? Here we are again in the domain of priorities. Of all the many publicised projects that are supposed to provide a form of alleviation to the problem, would it not have been more practical and easier to concentrate on a radical solution? But then again we might come up against private interests, whose property is more precious than the public interest, whose property has to be expropriated and who, justifiably, have to be compensated. It is also a question of narrow-mindedness superseding open-mindedness.

There is of course a history behind all this. A bypass was once planned to connect Gharb Road to where Viani Street is today. Such a project could have cut across all other difficulties that vehicles from the west part of Gozo wanting to reach the eastern part could bypass Victoria, and vice-versa. Private interest and speculation ruled over political, social, practical and planning expediency.

And yet nobody, starting from the minister downwards, seems to have the courage to present a coherent plan that would hint of a practical solution. The piecemeal manner in which the problem has been addressed in the past and is still being addressed only adds to more confusion.

The number one targets of any criticism in this case are the one and the only people who should feel responsible: the Victoria local council and the Victoria mayors in person, past and present. I never attended a Victoria local council meeting, not because I am not a Victoria resident, but for many other reasons. However, I would be surprised to know how many times the traffic situation in Victoria was on the agenda, if not discussed. Your readers would be too.

It was pointed out to me recently that a proposal to connect Viani Street, and Triq l-Ewropa with George Pisani Street is encountering the usual bureaucratic stalemate that Mepa seems to have been in after the Pullicino Orlando affair and other incomprehensible delays. One could also suspect, yet again, private interest involvement. Such an extension should greatly alleviate (if only as a partial and inconclusive solution) the traffic problem in Victoria. Where does the Victoria local council stand on this?

Alfred Grech