Tigné's traffic nightmare

Further to Tony Zammit Cutajar's article (Talking Point, September 20), the Tigné and Qui-si-Sana Residents Association objects to the ADT's plan to re-route traffic around the Tigné peninsula.

The effect of routing all southbound traffic through Qui-si-Sana plus the added traffic generated by the mega projects, both planned and underway in the peninsula, will generate more than 35,000 vehicles a day along the Tigné Seafront. This will raise both air pollution and noise well above levels proven to cause disease, placing the residents and their children at a greater risk of heart and lung disease, as well as cancer. The recently published Townsquare Environment Impact Assessment confirms this.

The downgraded MIDI tunnel will cause bottlenecks and tailbacks of cars jammed all the way down to Qui-si-Sana. Despite assurances that a model has been tested, we remain unconvinced. Mepa's refusal to provide a copy of the Traffic Impact Assessment for independent confirmation reinforces our suspicion that this will not stand up to scrutiny. Tailbacks and traffic jams were predicted by the Qui-si-Sana Carpark TIS, this when the tunnel was still two-way and the Fort Cambridge project not yet envisaged. The situation now is far worse.

Traffic to Fort Cambridge is to be diverted up narrow residential streets which were never designed to take such traffic. This has created official rat runs whereby traffic may take short cuts through narrow streets across the peninsula, exposing residents in the side streets to pollution, noise and danger. No precautions have been taken to prevent this.

Congestion will increase in central Sliema as traffic finds alternative routes in and out of Sliema to avoid the jams in Tigné.

Despite ministerial pre-election promises, the parking space at the Ferries has been severely reduced to accommodate the proposed dual carriageway and several roundabouts. The remaining parking strip along the Nazzarenu seafront has been taken over by cafés and the rest consists mainly of garage entrances. With the introduction of Resident Parking zones, this shortage of parking will mean the death of the Ferries as the town centre.

This is a half-baked plan designed to accommodate the new developments, completely ignoring the residential and existing business communities. It is based on information gathered 15 years ago and is no longer practicable today. As things stand, it will turn the Ferries into a cemetery of shops and the residential areas of Tigné into a gridlocked pollution hot-spot.

There does exist a problem with traffic in Tower Road and Bisazza Street. However, transferring it to the residents of Tigné and Qui-si-Sana is no solution. The area is already heavily congested and cannot cope with more traffic. The time has come for the ADT to consider reducing traffic levels in Sliema. Park and Ride schemes, and improved water links to Valletta may be viable solutions.