This last week, while the schools were off, the roads were a lot clearer. Motorists breathed a sigh of relief as journey times to work were of about 15-20 minutes rather than up to an hour.

Things are set to change this morning, however, as works to solve the drainage issues in Lija begin. The Transport Minister has assured that there are adequate plans in motion to cater for additional traffic. He has also promised that the first phase of the works will take four weeks and that gangs will be at work 24 hours a day.

Given Malta's track records for deadlines, it seems like an impossible task. But what seems to be even more of an impossible task is redirecting that arterial traffic to get from A to B during rush hour.

The same issue was raised in parliament through a PQ about the Kappara Roundabout. That too, is slated for work in the near future. But when asked in parliament about what alternative routes and measures are being put in place, Mr Mizzi merely said that all the precautions have been taken and that alternatives are being found. Not one detail was given.

But, on a positive note. The Coast Road resurfacing seems to be going along at a brisk pace. The project is estimated to take 58 weeks and should be ready in time for the summer. On this route, traffic has moved along easily as the way the work was set out allowed for smooth flow and not much stress was put on the surrounding road network. If only all road projects were like this. It is easy to condemn and say that too much is going on at once. But what are the choices in Malta? Do one road network at a time and take till 2050 to complete it? Or should we do as the Transport Minister is doing and try and get them all done at once? It seems that the latter has been the choice.

This, again, needs to be taken in the context that our public transport system - when compared to other European nations - is abysmal. It still takes forever and a day to get from one place to the other and the frequency of the buses is just not acceptable. We need to look at other alternatives. Time and time again, people have called for an underground system and time and time again, we have been told that it is not viable. Ok, that may well be the case. But if we can afford over €20m per year in subsidies for a bus company, we might as well apply for EU funding, bite the bullet and well and truly overhaul our transport system to include buses, trams, rail and underground options. Anything short of that will not do anything to alleviate the chronic congestion on our roads.