It was easy to blame village feasts as being the cause of traffic jams. But now that we are in October, what will Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia say?

Farrugia caused controversy and disdain when, in early August, he had said that traffic jams are not just due to projects to build new roads and widen older ones, but also because of feasts.

Now we all know how frustrating it is when major arteries are closed because of village feasts. That causes mayhem too. But the effect of village feasts is limited to a few days a year, and restricted to the localities which are celebrating their patron saint. When village feasts are held, roads are closed for a few hours and the police issue notices about these closures so that drivers can plan alternate routes.

Instead, we have a traffic problem each and every day, almost on a 24-hour basis, with particular emphasis in the early morning as people are going to work, and in the late afternoon/early evening when people are returning home.

This is why the minister’s comment drew ridicule, because village feasts are the least of our traffic problems as we also all know that the situation in our roads is chaotic for many more reasons. What Farrugia said was interpreted as an attempt to shift the blame of the government’s incompetence on to others.

Now that we’re in October, with no feasts taking place and, certainly not during the morning rush hour, the minister’s comment is coming back to haunt him. The traffic jams we were experiencing in August are nothing when compared to what all drivers have to go through today.

Because the traffic issues are growing. Each year that passes, and irrespective of the projects taking place, traffic jams continue to create havoc, and cost money. People are arriving late at work, tourists are missing out on their tours. Not to mention the waste of fuel and the increasing pollution.

Free public transport, which was introduced a few days ago, does not seem to have had a positive effect. People are still using their cars, and it is easy to see that most of the vehicles on the road have just one person – the driver – in them.

No doubt, the main reason for this multiplication of traffic issues is a result of the population-growth policy that was adopted by the Labour government under Joseph Muscat, and which has continued under Robert Abela. That the number of people living in Malta has increased by 100,000 in the last 10 years is no joke. There are more than 420,000 registered cars on our roads. The burden on the infrastructure has grown exponentially.

Road works, then, add on to the confusion. The problem is that, once they are ready, it’s not that they solve anything. Traffic jams continue, and if anything they are shifted from one point to another.

Because it’s useless to build a two-lane road which, at one point, becomes a one-lane stretch. It’s useless to have a flyover but then create a roundabout 200 metres down the road.

So, we ask, tongue in cheek, which feasts are being celebrated in October?