Traffic management in Attard

The present chaotic traffic situation in Attard is giving rise to great hardship for the residents of this village due to parking problems, unsafe roads and the associated heavy air pollution. It is evident that the construction of the Attard bypass is not considered as being of importance by the present Nationalist administration (March 22).

However, it is not fair on all the residents of this village to allow such a situation to persist and other measures need to be introduced to at least minimise the effects of this traffic situation.

The local council which has a majority of Nationalist Party councilors needs to immediately implement a comprehensive traffic management scheme for Attard. The main goal of such a scheme would be to ensure that through traffic is directed into the peripheral roads while only vehicles of Attard residents and traffic bound for an Attard destination is allowed to use the residential streets.

Such a traffic management plan would also attempt to ensure that no heavy vehicles (except public transport and vehicles rendering a service in Attard) are allowed to use residential streets. It should also introduce a comprehensive parking arrangement in all the streets to ensure that the chaotic parking situation is diminished.

A series of one-way systems in various streets would also ensure a proper flow of traffic especially in residential streets that are not wide enough to allow for parking on both sides of the streets and a two-way traffic flow.

In my opinion the main focus of such a plan should be the village core (with regards to parking), the area around Nicholsons Supermarket going down to the residence of the American Ambassador and the area around Pitkali Road which has now changed into a busy commercial area. Such a plan would address most of the major traffic problems in Attard although it would probably be difficult to address the traffic problem in Notary Zarb Street without the Attard bypass.

It is therefore important that the new Attard local council addresses these problems without any more delay since this traffic situation is leading to a deterioration of the quality of life enjoyed by all the Attard residents.