Measures interrupting traffic on bypasses
Transport Minister Austin Gatt told Parliament yesterday that while bridges would be built as required over bypasses, one could not continue to undermine the nature of such roads by creating things which interrupted traffic flow.
Dr Gatt was answering a question by Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat over what stage had been reached in a development application submitted to Mepa for the building of a footbridge over the Mrieħel bypass following a double fatality there in 2005. The minister said that whatever needed to be built would be built and he did not know offhand what stage had been reached on the development application.
He said that after village cores became congested with traffic, bypasses had started being constructed to take motorists from one point to another as quickly as possible, avoiding the village cores.
But then roundabouts had started being created, and then speed cameras, traffic lights and zebra crossings rather than overpasses and bridges. As a result, people ended up crossing the bypasses in areas which they should not cross.
The Mrieħel bypass itself included junctions, a speed camera, three or four zebra crossings and two traffic lights, all of which interrupted traffic flow and undermined the very purpose of the bypass.
Dr Gatt said roads such as the Mrieħel bypass should not be the same as St Anne Street in Floriana.
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Jim Hamilton
Dec 15th 2009, 13:50
While I agree with Dr Gatt that the Mriehel by-pass can never be the same as St Anne’s Street Floriana........ I would kindly suggest that the minister takes a slow drive along that particular route.
Mriehel by-pass,...... or to be more precise, is the road between the flyover at Qormi and the intersection at the MFSC.
There is only one junction, which is the entrance and exit to and from Mriehel. (Not junctions as stated)
Yes, there is a speed camera.
But there is definitely no zebra crossings.
There is only one set of traffic lights. that is on leaving the bypass at the intersection of Mdina road. situated by the MFSC.
Perhaps the good minister is being confused with some other by-pass.
P.Zammit
Dec 15th 2009, 13:11
Can our minister please indicate where are the four zebra crossing on the Mriehel bypass???
Karl Abela
Dec 15th 2009, 10:43
So AUSTIN....plleaaasseee remove those fake cameras at Mriehel by pass, they are creating more problems than solutions. All cameras are creating havoc infact. Speed cameras should be placed in towns which is frequented by pedestrians and school kids, not in fast lane roads. AUSTIN you really ought to take your consultant out for a loooong drive in Europe for some ideas and training.
Our typically intelligent Maltese driver is totally ignorant of the speed camera limit of 70km/h and drives by at a mere 35km/h...whats wrong with everybody?!?!?! Dont we understand that you can even drive by at 60 or 65km/h and still be under the 70km/h speed limit??? Whats this stupid obsession of crawling by a speed camera?
To add insult to injury many brake heavily for a speed camera on the outside lane!!!!! God forbid if such people had to drive on overseas motorways. That would instantly mean a 20 or 30 car pile up and multiple deaths.