Anybody who either lives or has driven in Malta knows that the problem of traffic is more evident than any other issue that befalls this little Mediterranean island. Everyone knows that the problem exists and yet nobody seems to do anything feasible to tackle it, especially with regards to long-term solutions. All we get are stop-gap measures, some of which only shift the problem to somewhere else (heqhem...Tal-Balal...heqhem).
Although I have already written a blog post related to a possible long-term solution to our traffic problems, there are some other minor solutions that we can implement in the meantime, some of which have already been suggested by other experts and media outlets but seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
You may, at this point, be thinking to yourselves, "subways are filthy and footbridges are big, ugly, metal structures". This is not the case everywhere, and although the Floriana and Msida pedestrian subways are filthy and the Mriehel bypass bridge may not have been the best design out of the lot, if tackled properly, both methods can be implemented in a way that would please most people. Major cities all over the world have implemented both solutions with great success, so why can't we seeing as the economy is thriving and we aim to be a centre of excellence for a number of industries in the coming years! For this to happen, we need to up our game, look at what has already been implemented elsewhere and improve on it.
Let's take Tal-Balal as an example. This road has been a victim of bumper to bumper traffic for many years, especially during rush hours (7:00 - 9:00 and 16:00 - 18:00 at the very least). In order to "solve" the issue, it was decided that this road should be widened to include an extra 2 lanes on each side starting from the roundabout in San Gwann and ending at the roundabout leading to San Pawl Tat-Targa or Naxxar. At which point, in both cases, the exits to said roundabouts lead to single lane roads in all directions. Therefore, what is being done here is moving a bottleneck from one place to another and solely giving the appearance of less traffic due to the higher capacity of these roads.
Although I have already written a blog post related to a possible long-term solution to our traffic problems, there are some other minor solutions that we can implement in the meantime, some of which have already been suggested by other experts and media outlets but seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
Pedestrian Walkways
One very large nuisance I have noticed while driving along our crowded streets are pelican crossings. These self-service traffic lights stop traffic repeatedly, especially in areas with heavy pedestrian activity, and most of the time traffic is stopped to allow a single pedestrian to cross the road which is not feasible. Pelican crossings are dotted all over the Maltese islands and are even available on major thoroughfares, which is ludicrous. Main roads and bypasses are no place for these, especially at rush hour where traffic is almost at a stand-still anyway.
Now, you can't just go all cowboy and remove pelican crossings without giving pedestrians an alternative, as they deserve to be able to travel unimpeded as much as drivers do. Therefore, it would be much more sensible to set up pedestrian walkways enabling people to cross the road by going over or under, without disrupting traffic flow. I'm also not suggesting that all of these crossings are removed from everywhere that they stand, but at the very least get rid of them where traffic flows heavily on a daily basis such as main roads!
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| Pelican crossing on Birkirkara bypass (Triq Dun Karm) right before/after a roundabout causes traffic build-up on a regular basis and is dangerous for drivers and pedestrians alike. |
You may, at this point, be thinking to yourselves, "subways are filthy and footbridges are big, ugly, metal structures". This is not the case everywhere, and although the Floriana and Msida pedestrian subways are filthy and the Mriehel bypass bridge may not have been the best design out of the lot, if tackled properly, both methods can be implemented in a way that would please most people. Major cities all over the world have implemented both solutions with great success, so why can't we seeing as the economy is thriving and we aim to be a centre of excellence for a number of industries in the coming years! For this to happen, we need to up our game, look at what has already been implemented elsewhere and improve on it.
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| Pedestrian bridge in Zapallar, Chile by Enrique Browne y Asociados Arquitectos |
We are lucky as a nation in that we have a large number of very talented architects, engineers, artists and creatives who can be commissioned to come up with designs for these structures and subways so that we can implement something that works well and that we can all be proud of. There should be no excuses!
Bottlenecks and Bamboozles
DISCLAIMER: This is more of a complaint than a solution. The only solution to this would be less cars and better public transport, but I will rant on nonetheless.
In recent years, there has been a huge drive to widen major roads and create flyovers to help alleviate the issues associated with traffic problems on the Maltese Islands. Although some of these initiatives have worked, others are just a waste of money, time and effort to the detriment of our natural environment. All of them, however, are solely delaying the inevitable gridlock that is set to befall these islands at some point in the future, should action not be taken.
In an attempt to placate the masses shouting "Uff xi dwejjaq, kemm hawn 'traffic'" ("Oh damn, what a lot of traffic" in English), the government of past and present has attempted to introduce "grand initiatives" to widen roads and increase the flow of traffic through certain high density areas such as Triq Tal-Balal, Triq il-Buqana, Triq Sant Andrija, and the roads mentioned in the infamous Central Link Project, just to name a few more recent initiatives. Besides the fact that almost all of these will be taking up precious agricultural land to make way for more tarmac and vehicle fumes, they are not solving the overall problem and instead diverting the gridlock to other parts of the island.
Let's take Tal-Balal as an example. This road has been a victim of bumper to bumper traffic for many years, especially during rush hours (7:00 - 9:00 and 16:00 - 18:00 at the very least). In order to "solve" the issue, it was decided that this road should be widened to include an extra 2 lanes on each side starting from the roundabout in San Gwann and ending at the roundabout leading to San Pawl Tat-Targa or Naxxar. At which point, in both cases, the exits to said roundabouts lead to single lane roads in all directions. Therefore, what is being done here is moving a bottleneck from one place to another and solely giving the appearance of less traffic due to the higher capacity of these roads.
BAMBOOZLED!
Fast Ferry Services
As I've mentioned in a past blog post entitled "A public transport proposal for the Maltese Islands", one of the way we can improve public transport is the implementation of more frequent and abundant routes being offered as fast ferry services for pedestrians.
Although this is a piece of the puzzle I presented in my proposal, it is probably a useful one to implement without too much fuss or infrastructural work required. Considering our favourable weather for most of the months of the year and that we live on a group of islands surrounding by sea, it should be a logically choice for implementation. Implementation, however, would not suffice on its own and operators and government would need to provide incentives for people to use the service until a more holistic approach is taken with regards to the implementation of a full-scale public transport initiative.
Granted that asking Maltese people to ditch their cars and hop on a bus or boat may not be easy but if useful routes are introduced and the system is implemented in a way that entices commuters, it can possibly be a huge hit, especially on one of the 250+ beautiful days we are lucky enough to encounter on these islands. Food for thought!
Fast ferry service pick-up / drop-off location proposal
Heavy Vehicles and Road Closures
These may appear to be two different issues but, let's face it, we all know they go hand in hand and are linked to the scourge of heavy construction on our little island. These slow moving vehicles laden with construction waste and dust spilling onto the road just like snails making their trails, are a proper nuisance to all local drivers on their early morning or evening commute, to or from work or school. The main ares of contention with these heavy vehicles and construction in general with regards to roads and traffic are:
- Slow moving vehicles on roads during rush hour aggravating traffic
- Road closures caused by construction causing major delays and affecting traffic flows
- Temporary road obstructions caused by heavy vehicles passing through narrow roads, for example the famous Mrabat Street in Sliema.
A solution to this issue had already been mentioned and discussed in the past whereby a ban on heavy vehicles on roads, and construction work taking place during rush hour, would be implemented. Like most good ideas that affect "the big guys", this one never materialised.
The argument against the implementation of this ban was that heavy vehicles on our roads were not causing delays or increasing traffic during rush hour, which we all know is complete BS! The head of the National Developers Association also stated that as a compromise, truck drivers would instructed to always drive on the left lane. This is a ludicrous proposal due to the fact that they should not need to be instructed to do so since it is the law that slow moving vehicles drive on the left lane as the right lane should only be designated for vehicles that intend to overtake other vehicles, thereby making this "compromise" a complete shambles!
An incentive whereby heavy vehicles are not allowed on the roads during rush hours (7:00 - 9:00 and 16:00 - 18:00 at the very least, as stated previously), would help in reducing traffic build up in busy areas. Furthermore, the ban on road closures due to construction between these times, at least on major roads, would also have a major effect on traffic flow.
This, however, is most likely to fall on deaf ears once again since it will affect the big players in the country to the detriment of the little guy, even though the little guy constitutes a higher percentage of the voting population!
The argument against the implementation of this ban was that heavy vehicles on our roads were not causing delays or increasing traffic during rush hour, which we all know is complete BS! The head of the National Developers Association also stated that as a compromise, truck drivers would instructed to always drive on the left lane. This is a ludicrous proposal due to the fact that they should not need to be instructed to do so since it is the law that slow moving vehicles drive on the left lane as the right lane should only be designated for vehicles that intend to overtake other vehicles, thereby making this "compromise" a complete shambles!
An incentive whereby heavy vehicles are not allowed on the roads during rush hours (7:00 - 9:00 and 16:00 - 18:00 at the very least, as stated previously), would help in reducing traffic build up in busy areas. Furthermore, the ban on road closures due to construction between these times, at least on major roads, would also have a major effect on traffic flow.
This, however, is most likely to fall on deaf ears once again since it will affect the big players in the country to the detriment of the little guy, even though the little guy constitutes a higher percentage of the voting population!
Enforcement
Enforcement of traffic rules and laws is probably the most significant solution and improvement that should assist in getting people with a complete disregard for other people's safety off our roads and in turn aid the efforts to improve traffic flow by reducing accidents and improving the standard of people's driving in general.
Traffic law is unfortunately not enforced enough in our country and this needs to change! Enough said!
Conclusion
Therefore, we've seen that just a few minor improvements and solutions can go a long way to assisting with the current traffic problems being experienced in the Maltese Islands. Maybe someone will take note and hopefully action as well.
Please post any comments and get in touch with any improvements or solutions you may have in mind.
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