Blocked ring road

The Malta Transport Authority (June 27) gave the environment as a reason for the time restricted access to the ring road that leads to Luqa. This does not hold any water because what the authority did was to create a traffic jam resulting in more pollution.

According to the Malta Transport Authority Act, Para 4(1)(a), the authority shall plan and provide a proper, safe, economical and efficient transport system. Driving every morning through this area, I feel that what the authority did was totally the contrary. Before the new arrangements came into force (two wardens are on guard) I used to drive through the Sta Lucija ring road, bypassing the roundabout, in just two to three minutes. Now I am spending no less than 10 minutes on the Tal-Barrani road. This is resulting in a traffic jam and loads of exhaust. Having said that, the new arrangements have still to be tested when all the schools and university are open and school transport is operating to full capacity. Then there will be a chaotic situation at the Tarxien traffic lights down Tal-Barrani road.

On top of that, expenses are incurred to keep two wardens on guard just to ensure that no one breaches the unsafe, expensive and inefficient new arrangements.

The correspondent also referred to the Sta Lucija roundabout, and stated that the authority is investigating different schemes for improving the situation. Well this should have been done first. Or was it simply a decision to satisfy a few residents on the Sta Lucija ring road to the detriment of the many commuters driving through this area?

May I ask one more question: Has the Tarxien local council been consulted before a decision was made on these new arrangements?