Orderly one-way

I congratulate Swieqi local council for enforcing a one-way traffic system, in the main part of Triq is-Sidra. In any area where the population is burgeoning, building frenetic and vehicle traffic intensifying, one-way traffic system is logical and inescapable, if one is to assure safety, adequate flow and order.

Owners of retail outlets complained that this would impact negatively on their business; this is not borne out by the experience of similar initiatives elsewhere, in Malta or abroad. To buy, you have to stop; and how could you stop in the street with parking on both sides and two-way traffic?

It's as simple as that. Traffic congestion is a fact of life which is set to rise steeply; the solution is not to have drivers swinging from one side to the other like operating a Scalextric set, shouting, hooting, swearing, while keeping a lookout where the next warden may be lurking. That is not a solution to a problem but compounding a problem. One-way traffic reduces the problem to half, lengthens the course but cuts down on time because the flow (and that is the essential point) is improved. This not to say anything about safety, civilised behaviour and the convenience of residents. Ultimately, should we opt for order or chaos?