Victoria's traffic problems

Victoria is located at the very centre of Gozo with the island's road system radiating mainly from it. Because of its central location it is also the largest settlement. It houses some of the island's main tourist attractions, as well as the General Hospital, the Gozo Ministry and a host of administrative, cultural and recreational centres.

The island radiates around its hub with the result that day in day out several commuters from the surrounding villages, who use their own transport, add substantially to the slow traffic flow that for years has now afflicted this city.

This problem becomes worse in peak periods such as Carnival, Easter and most particularly the summer season, with the arrival of hundreds of Maltese visitors and foreign day trippers, to such an extent that at various hours its main areas become completely jammed.

Tackling the problem

The city has now been burdened with this problem for well over a decade and it has been escalating year in year out. Neither of the two central administrations have managed to solve it. However it should be recalled that back in the early 1990s, when Speaker Anton Tabone was appointed the island's first minister, the Gozo Ministry commissioned two studies to make concrete proposals to ease this problem.

The first report was submitted by architect Albert Cauchi and the second by architect André Zammit. I have been unable to trace the Cauchi report; but, having read the Zammit report I can state it is quite exhaustive. This was submitted to the Gozo Ministry a decade ago - in 1996. Apart from the Gozo Ministry, the second Victoria council also commissioned a similar report from J.P. Dimech & Associates.

The first two reports based their conclusions more or less on the same solution, namely the building of a bypass on the city's northern part. J.P. Dimech & Associates on the other hand recommended a couple of rerouting measures.

Unfortunately, after a decade has passed since these reports were submitted, nothing has materialised. And as if to add insult to injury, references to the bypass project, both in Parliament and public forums, are no longer being made. It also transpires from a public meeting of the last Victoria council that this public institution has failed to raise this important topic with the Gozo Ministry throughout its three-year term.

Bypass proposal

The Cauchi and Zammit reports mainly based their solutions on the building of a bypass. In the Zammit report one can also find suggestions and diagrams concerning the introduction of this major project.

In a nutshell, Architect Zammit proposes that this bypass should start by first short-linking Viani Street to Patri Camenzuli Street, thereby leading the traffic directly into Marsalforn's main road. He then suggests that from this point the route should be diverted towards By the Bastion Road for onward annexation to a new road proposed for construction in the area shaded by Gelmus Hill and the backyards of the dwellings in Pope John Paul II Street.

Thus, all traffic heading towards the western part of the island would automatically bypass Victoria's centre and proceed without any serious hindrance towards Kercem, Zebbug, Ghasri, Gharb and San Lawrenz as well as towards Ta' Pinu Sanctuary and Dwejra.

I wonder whether European Union funds could be obtained for this major project. I also feel that should MEPA raise any objections, it should take the same attitude it took when two similar bypasses were introduced in Mellieha, at Ta' Pennellu and the other in St Paul's Bay shaded by Wardija Hill.

Furthermore I see no reason why the Minister for Gozo, Gozitan MPs as well as Victoria council should not insist on the implementation of such a vital project.

Other secondary solutions

In view of Victoria's actual traffic flow, its main arterial areas, namely Republic and Main Gate Streets as well as St Francis and Savina Squares, are constantly 'gridlocked' at peak hours. And it is indeed shameful that our city's main thoroughfare, Republic Street, has been left encumbered with the flow of heavy vehicles emitting not only fumes and foul smells but also dirtying this tourist area with dust and concrete emissions that leak from ready-mix tractors that invariably pass through it.

During my term as mayor (2000-2003), to curb bus fumes in Victoria's central area, the council had proposed to the then Traffic Control Board, that buses reaching Victoria from Xaghra, Nadur, Qala, Mgarr, Ghajnsielem and Xewkija should not pass through Republic Street, but proceed directly towards the bus terminus via Dr George Borg Olivier Street.

This proposal was intended to kill two birds with one stone: apart from decreasing the dense traffic flow from the city's main thoroughfare, it would also have eliminated the high volume of exhaust fumes from this central area.

I need hardly emphasise that this area is regularly attended by hundreds of pedestrians who flock towards the banks, shops and other commercial outlets along this commercial area. I also hope that the past local council continued to put pressure for this rerouting to be adopted. If not, may this remark spur the present council to do so.

Eliminating bottlenecks

In my opinion the chief obstructions hindering Victoria's normal traffic flow are the bottlenecks at St Francis Square corner with Main Gate Street and that at Sabina Square corner with St Ursula Street. Luckily, it appears that the latter is undergoing keen MEPA observation so much so that the reconstruction of this corner building was abruptly halted well over a year ago. Consequently any further comments in this regard will obviously be irrelevant.

On the other hand the hindrance leading from St Francis Square into Main Gate Street merits an urgent solution. The strange fact that buses are officially allowed to go the wrong way through this bottleneck is exacerbating the chaos that reigns supreme in this prime area, especially at peak hours, such as between 8 and 8.30 a.m. on school days.

Past Victoria councils have invariably insisted that the position in this prime area could be remedied with the installation of traffic lights. I fully support this proposal and add that if the right traffic lights are installed, these could perhaps help revert Main Gate Street into a dual carriageway, thereby considerably easing traffic throughout Victoria.

Why not in Gozo?

During the past decades Malta has made big strides in its road engineering. Apart from the building of various bypasses, a couple of bridges and tunnels were also constructed, thereby easing its acute traffic problems. Actually, such projects in Malta are being identified by foreign road engineering experts commissioned by the Government to study and suggest improvements in various road networks.

In fact a couple of these projects became eligible for financing under EU Cohesion Funds. Strangely enough, in the meantime, Gozo is being left in the lurch, so much so that not a single bypass tunnel or bridge has so far been implemented. I for one see no reason why we should keep on living on an island where time has really stood still.

Mr Cassar is a former mayor of Victoria.