Some time ago, Minister Joe Mizzi announced that a centre strip will be laid down on the Coast Road from St Andrew’s to Bugibba.
We applaud the decision. The Coast Road has become Malta’s biggest killer. Too many times, at any hour of the day, or night, cars speed along its winding route. Many times, they take blind corners on while they are overtaking. Then, sometimes, they come face to face with death when a similar vehicle is doing the same in the opposite direction.
Some years ago, Minister Censu Galea had decided to impose a centre strip on the equally dangerous Tal-Balal Road. People grumbled, as they always do, especially when they find themselves behind a slow-moving truck, but deaths were avoided. (It is a pity that the continuation of this road, ie the Birguma Bypass and the road to Salina are not so protected).
Some time ago, Mepa approved the upgrading of the Coast Road all the way from Kennedy Grove to the outskirts of St Andrew’s but we urge Minister Mizzi not to let Transport Malta begin works. The Coast Road was upgraded just some years ago and there are far more immediate needs.
Just to continue on the Coast Road, the problem here is that Transport Malta, for instance, has not felt it needed to put in some improvements that had been agreed upon – such as, for instance, tackling that road down from the Bellavista Hotel which cuts into the flow of traffic and also not doing something structural about the afore-mentioned road to Gharghur, which again cuts through the flow of traffic. Such small improvements would have made a whole difference.
Nor do we se the need for the roadworks now underway at Marsa to connect the Cruise Liner Passenger Terminal to 13 December Road, although works are so far advanced that they cannot be stopped.
To continue in this manner, nor do we see any urgent need to tackle the Kappara roadabout. It may not be the best thing on the island, and sometimes cars have to wait until the road gets unclogged, but there are far more important priorities.
If TM and the minister want to do something strategic, then let them tackle the nodes where people end up spending a lot of time, (and road rage) on a daily basis. Places such as the Iklin roundabout, Msida (and not just when it’s raining), and the Cemetery roundabout. These, and maybe others like them, should become a priority. Government after government, minister after minister, have shied away from tackling them because they are really tough nuts to crack.
Over the past years, Malta has spent the better part of the much-touted EU funds to create some wonderful roads which lie, however, all the way to the North and which are hardly used except when we all go to Gozo. The real roads, with the all-too real problems where ordinary Maltese spend hours every year in queues, were left high and dry. By now, they have become so used and neglected, they seem like Third World roads.
And if TM really wants to do something, let it tackle the issues concerning, for instance, the narrow road from Mellieha to Xemxija. Ideas have been exchanged, tunnels projected, controversies ensued (what’s new?) and at the end nothing was done. Meanwhile the road has been left narrow and cumbersome as all who spend some time queueing on it can say.
It’s a real pity that so much money has been spent and yet most of Malta’s roads are still in this primitive state.