Traffic in Malta is really getting beyond a joke. Simple journeys that should take 10 minutes or so are taking longer and longer and there is no such thing as a rush hour any more. The roads are choked with traffic from morning till night. There’s the school rush, then the work rush, then the lunch rush, then the school rush (again) and then there’s the evening rush.

This is not about public transport or the reluctance of Maltese people to ‘let go’ of their car. It is about ancient road networks that need a drastic overhaul. Malta is in dire need of underpasses and overpasses, because it is just getting worse and worse.

First of all, there is the pollution problem. As vehicles sit nose to tail, the exhaust fumes can become unbearable, irrespective of whether the engines burn cleanly or not. Then there’s the lost time factor. Employees literally get stuck in traffic for hours through the day. There’s also the stress factor. People are getting to work and back home feeling like wound up springs and it is no surprise.

Some weeks back, a leading article in this publication said that we were the island of roundabouts, and it is so true. The government and the authorities must find a way to allocate funds to go into the building of two crucial over (or under) passes. One understands that there are objections and that the idea has got bogged down, but there must be one at Kappara junction. Traffic to this roundabout normally begins to accumulate from even before the university tunnels. On the flipside, the queue leading to it from the other end can actually extend over the Ġużè Ellul Mercer Bridge, at times.

The government has mentioned plans time and time again for this junction, but there are concerns about the privacy of home owners in the area. This must be respected, but equally, something must be done as the situation is absolutely chaotic. The only solution is either an overpass or an underpass, and it must be planned and built, sooner rather than later.

The other overpass or underpass needs to be built at Marsa junction. People who live in the south regularly complain that they literally have to sit in traffic for a good half hour, every morning, to get across the junction.

It is true that all projects cannot be done at once, as the whole island comes to a standstill, but the game needs to be stepped up. These projects need to happen, for the sake of everyone’s sanity. At the same time however, the public must realise that if major roadworks are taking place, then there is bound to be more traffic and detours for the duration of construction. At least, lessons are being learned and the latest road projects have shown foresight to allow for maintenance and breakdowns of vehicles. Something must be done, and fast, to improve the appalling state of our road network.