Roadworks in Ċirkewwa and the Mellieћa Bypass seem to have taken their toll on the Gozitan economy with the Gozo Tourism Association lamenting that a significant number of Maltese are being discouraged from spending their summer holidays on the sister island. Though traffic delays are to be expected this time of the year with the touristic season at its peak, the prospect of spending 90 minutes in the scorching summer sun just to cover a stretch of land from Mistra to Ċirkewwa is nevertheless a daunting one.

Authorities seem to be insensitive to the ordeals faced by thousands of drivers who on a daily basis have to negotiate their way through this part of the island, some of them to earn their living. Yet again, roadworks are taking longer than expected.

The road leading to the Gozo ferries was supposed to have been finished last month, so as not to clash with the Santa Marija season. To date, the road is still closed even though parts of it have been nearly ready for several weeks. Meanwhile, the authorities have kept mum on this issue, and nobody really knows if the contractor is being fined for the unjustified delays. It is also worth noting that parts of this road have been reduced to a single lane, meaning that in spite of all the money being spent and the inconveniences caused in due course, the traffic situation is bound to get worse. Thanks to this illogical decision, those wishing to spend a day at the beach at Paradise Bay or are heading to a nearby hotel will probably end up stuck behind the traffic for the Gozo ferries.

Meanwhile, roadworks on the Mellieћa Bypass are expected to take at least to the end of the year. To mitigate the situation, the council decided to allow traffic in one direction only, going down to Gћadira Bay.

Considering that public transport must be allowed to pass through the village core or else it would defeat its purpose, there is no room for manoeuvrability. The only logical solution would have been to keep the road two-way while removing the parking spaces in the narrowest parts to allow buses to pass freely. Yet again, common sense has not prevailed, and thousands are paying the price. Meanwhile, from today till next Sunday, Ġorġ Borg Olivier Street will be closed for traffic in the evenings due to the activities related to the Mellieћa Nights organised by the local council. One major factor contributing to this traffic chaos is that both projects are being carried out simultaneously. Authorities tried to justify this decision saying that they had no other option since both projects have to be completed by 2013 or else EU funding will be lost. The obvious solution to this would have been to start either one of them a couple of years before the other, instead of procrastinating for so long. Yet again, logic seems to be a rarity these days, especially in some quarters.

One sincerely hopes that works on both projects pick up pace as recent experience suggests that there seems to be no urgency to abide by the deadlines. In the meantime, all those who frequent the northern part of the island have no other option rather than contend with bad planning, and illogical decisions taken by those who think they know it all. As for the issue of accountability, this is another glaring example of a country lagging miles behind.