'These things happen.'  It's something of a conciliatory statement, usually reserved for something beyond our control: maybe a long-awaited holiday flight that's delayed because of the weather, or a random puncture on your car. 

Not, however, a nation-impacting traffic jam as a result of a convention for the second year running.

The Sigma iGaming convention returned to Malta this week and for a second year running was held at the Mediterranean Maritime Hub off Aldo Moro Road in Marsa. For a second year running, the event - which attracts something like 25 to 30,000 people - caused a monumental traffic jam, leaving thousands sitting, fuming, in their cars.

The impact on what is already a strained transport infrastructure of last year's convention was disastrous: Malta literally stood still as the glitz and glamour of the country's favourite morally-ambiguous economic cash cow congregated at a venue situated alongside the most travelled road junction on the island.

This year - amidst talk of "lessons learnt" from the organisers - moves were made to try to mitigate the impact of the convention.  Transport Malta came up with a plan which brought some organisation that was lacking last year, with designated pick-up and drop-off points for coaches, white taxis, and Y-plate taxis.

But, while one can say that the traffic jams were not as intense as last year, the plan fell short of removing the inconvenience on commuters that the event caused.

Traffic tailed back all the way from the venue to the Kappara flyover, some 8 kilometres away, and it also had a knock-on effect in localities like Qormi and Birkirkara.  Malta Public Transport, which operates the country's bus service, was constrained to issue a statement on its Facebook page saying simply: "All bus routes in Malta are currently experiencing severe delays due to heavy traffic."

While Sigma's organisers, perhaps expectedly, tried to play down people's concerns by pointing out the economic benefits that their event brings to the country, Transport Minister Chris Bonett tried to strike a more conciliatory tone when he mentioned the matter in Parliament.

"An event of this kind, with thousands of people, is like a football match held abroad; it will result in congestion. I sympathise with all those who were stuck in traffic, I was also stuck in traffic. I wanted to go on the ground and understand what was happening," Bonett told parliament on Wednesday.

'These things happen', is what Bonett is basically implying. But the crux is that these things shouldn't happen.  A country's infrastructure shouldn't be in such a position that it basically has to grind to a halt in order to accommodate a single event.

The Minister drew an equivalence with football matches held abroad - but most major stadiums are backed up by a mass transport system which is specifically organised to cater for such events.

What the people want to hear from politicians is not sympathy, but solutions - particularly as to how a similar scenario will be avoided if and when Sigma rolls around next year, or if any other event of a similar magnitude had to take place.

A park and ride shuttle-bus system diverting some vehicular traffic away from the area around the venue can be one such solution, for example. 

Before a more holistic approach is taken to major events such as these, these things will, unfortunately, continue to happen.