These are the questions many are asking since government whip Godfrey Farrugia suggested on Wednesday that one way of easing the traffic congestion on Maltese roads is to pay a toll for using the major roads.

Another one is - how much would you be prepared to pay, daily, to make use of public roads?

The Coast Road could be one example where a road toll could be introduced, as it is a road that is about to be completed and its closure in recent months led to so much disruption.

The work there has not been completed, and only when it is so that work on another major junction, the Kappara roundabout, will start.

Traffic issues while work is taking place at Kappara – a project that is expected to last two years – will be much greater than the ones generated by the closure of the Coast Road.

The suggestion made by the government’s whip has been met with indignation by drivers, who have commented on social media that they already pay enough taxes and licences to use Maltese roads.

But the comment made by Dr Farrugia – which was followed up by another suggestion that public transport should be free during peak hours, an idea which Transport Minister Joe Mizzi later said is being considered – is bound to create more controversy.