Coast road upgrading works are to start without waste of time in light of several road accidents Malta’s “worst road killer”, said Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Mizzi during the adjournment speech in Parliament, yesterday evening.
Experts have suggested addressing the road’s structural defects by separating the two carriage ways and introducing crash barriers, he pointed out.
The fact there is no separation between the two lanes and the bends that exist, result in excessive over taking and head on crashes, Mr Mizzi said. Traffic on the coast road also increased.
Consequently, two tenders to increase security are currently being evaluated. These are intended to improve the bends, introduce traffic lights, use better asphalting including high friction asphalt in certain areas and introduce bicycle lanes on both sides of the road.
Mr Mizzi reacted to a PN statement issued on 31 May, following an accident in Tal- Barrani. The party had expressed its concern while noting the government had failed to take any concrete actions. The PL has only been in government for a few weeks and was not the cause of any security problems, Mr Mizzi stressed.
Media reports had wrongly given the impression that the traffic lights were not functioning for 24 hours before the accident. However, the situation of traffic lights is “grievous” and has been so for several years, Mr Mizzi said, asking why this has not been rectified when the people responsible in November gave the minister a list of junctions where cables and controllers needed to be replaced because they are past their lifetime.
The government has since taken steps to tackle the problems and fast track works. A unit will be set up to frequently carry out road checks to report problems, such as ones on traffic lights, as soon as they occur.
It has also taken measures to reduce traffic, including at 13 December Avenue, where works had stopped before the election and EU funds could have been lost. The traffic management system that had been drawn up was not good enough and temporary measures are being taken to have traffic deviated via Aldo Moro Road, and therefore reduce congestion.
The Road Safety Strategy has been completed and following internal consultations on the document, which should be ready within a week, Transport Malta will be leading the road safety council which will first approve the document following external consultations.
The authority is also carrying out an information campaign in schools and a campaign on road health and safety for children.
Such matters are being taken seriously because people’s lives are at risk.
With reference to the Mriehel accident, where two girls had died a number of years ago, Mr Mizzi said there have been promises to have something done since 2006 but when a discussion took place in Parliament, it was said that a foot bridge was not viable. However, he argued that when people’s lives are at stake, intervention is priceless.
The government will also be starting works on the Kappara and Marsa junctions soon, following consultation with everyone, while keeping safety in mind.
Mr Mizzi went on to refer to Triq Bieb is- Sur in Zabbar, where residents face great inconvenience especially when it rains but over the years, their complaints were never heard. Corrective measures have been taken and it has now been assured that the problems are solved.
The aim is to correct existent situations and the Road Safety Strategy is a plan to avoid accidents and fatalities. Although he feels criticism towards the government was unfair, he encouraged constructive criticism so as to continue improving our roads.
He also pointed out that while the police are in charge of road regulation enforcement, Transport Malta is carrying out an information campaign against over speeding.