New Rabat traffic arrangements

The report "New traffic system in Rabat" (October 28) gave the impression that most Rabat residents are in favour of their new traffic arrangements. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Borg Olivier Street is Rabat's main traffic artery and forms part of Rabat's periphery road system. The street can easily accommodate two cars travelling in opposite directions throughout its entire length. However, in one particular stretch of perhaps 100 metres between St Dominic's Square and St Sebastian Square, the street narrows slightly and problems occasionally arose when buses or trucks did not give way to oncoming vehicles.

However, some Borg Olivier Street residents seem to have organised themselves into a lobby and managed to persuade the Malta Transport Authority that there was too much traffic and pollution in their street. The authority decided to turn the whole of Borg Olivier Street into a one-way street except for route buses "on an experimental basis".

This was a totally uncalled-for decision and created an illogical situation whereby traffic needing to pass through Rabat was actually being diverted into the town centre, instead of using Borg Olivier Street, a peripheral road. It was no surprise that few opted to use instead the western part of Rabat's ring road system - Labour Avenue. This road is currently in a terrible state. Moreover, it leads to nowhere but the Mtarfa Bypass, and lengthens one's travelling time excessively when one wants to go in the direction of Valletta.

Notwithstanding its obvious failings, this "experiment" was allowed to persist for about a year while discussions were held with Rabat local council to try to find an alternative solution. Now, to the disgust and bewilderment of most Rabat and Dingli residents, instead of admitting that the experiment was a failure and reversing their original decision, the authority has compounded its original gaffe by effectively forcing hundreds of Rabat and Dingli motorists to use Labour Avenue, like-it-or-not. The alternative routes through the centre of Rabat have now either been cut off completely or lengthened in such a way that it hardly makes sense to use them.

The result: every day hundreds of frustrated Rabat and Dingli motorists now have to add about five more minutes per car worth of traffic and pollution to the detriment of the health and safety of residents living along Labour Avenue, and foot a higher petrol and diesel consumption bill to boot.

This sorry story is not over yet. The Malta Transport Authority have confirmed their intention to 'upgrade' Labour Avenue. Unless they are going to opt for a 'quick-fix' layer of tarmac, the street will probably need to be rebuilt from its foundations, meaning it will have to be closed for several months. One shudders to think what traffic nightmares Rabat and Dingli motorists are going to have to endure when this last major artery out of Rabat is dug up!

I still cannot understand the logic of making so many thousands of Rabat and Dingli motorists suffer so much for the sake of so few Borg Olivier Street residents. Why not just prevent buses and lorries from using the narrow part of Borg Olivier Street instead of creating such inconvenience, higher cost, and more pollution for thousands of fellow residents?

I appeal to the Malta Transport Authority to re-think this issue, to allow common sense to prevail and to make Borg Olivier Street a two-way street once again.