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Valletta Road reopened after €4.4m rebuild

Valletta Road, the main road which leads to Zurrieq, was officially reopened this evening after a €4.4 million rebuilding. €3.6 million were paid for from EU funds.

Roads Minister Austin Gatt welcomed the fact that the works were completed six weeks ahead of schedule and on budget. He said the road was safer in that it was better lit and the surface was of better quality.

Dr Gatt said that since Malta joined the EU, €40m had been invested on arterial roads such as this as well as distributor roads. With the completion of the road to Marsascala and Valletta Road, the focus would now swing to Garibalidi and Council of Europe roads in Luqa, Marfa Road, Mellieha, another section of the road between Ghajnsielem and Victoria and the first phase of the road from Marsa to the sea passenger terminal.

Preparations were also being made for works on the Mellieha bypass at Ta 'Penellu and an underpass from December 13 Road to Marsa Creek.

Studies were also being made on improving the Kappara junction and the coast road.

Dr Gatt said that in the case of roads in residential areas, some 260 roads from a list of roads which were to have been started by the end of 2008 still had to be completed. A further 140 streets would be built by the middle of next year.

€4m were also being spent this year on road patching, the minister said.

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Vicki Soler

Jul 29th 2010, 10:10

Prosit well said. So many people are always moaning and groaning and not realizing what a lot is being done.

George Azzopardi

Jul 29th 2010, 12:14

@Vicki Soler .. the problem is that what is being done is the too little too late of what should have been done. Pity we have so many people who are so politically blind that they do not realize how inefficiently out tax money is being used!
Moreover, since when is criticizing being called moaning or should we continue be rumbled over with no sign of resistance.

joe gatt

Jul 29th 2010, 13:48

@George Azzoppardi
Totally agree with you, about time someone did some research too.
The tax payer thru the VAT system is still paying out, for smooth surfaces, the difference being, there may be presently more accountability.
This particular road at some point in time had been resurfaced with Tarmac, at the time millions were spent on roads, some of which lasted only a few weeks. Maybe we should also be told, how much of our tax money was spent previously. Still say quality matters, we our being double charged for work which should not have been done right the first time.
To what extent is the consumer (tax payer) protected. Who is accountable for the present state of Malta`s roads, thus waste of public funds? What possibility is there that the tax payer gets a refund? About time we did.

R.Gauci

Jul 28th 2010, 19:20

No A Smart Goverment ! :)

M.Gauci

Jul 28th 2010, 16:05

Ma tafx fuq xiex qieghed titkellem sihbi. Lanqas tal-labour (il-partit) ma ghandhom jghidu dac-cucati, min zmien Sant. Illum jammettu li d-dhul ta Malta mil-EU huwa overall (u mhux xghar b'xghar) hafna izjjed mill Malta tikkontrubwixxi.

Joseph Schembri

Jul 28th 2010, 12:35

@ Prof Mallia: there is a cycle lane of sorts. It is a depressed kerb which I suppose can be used by cyclists. Meanwhile I urge all cyclists to please cycle in single file when they are in a group - cyclists two or more abreast are a danger to themselves and to others.

Tom Engerer

Jul 28th 2010, 12:54

@ Prof:Schembri
That's called a hard shoulder.. and should never be used by cyclists. Its there to be used in emergencies.. such as when a police car or an ambulance is passing.

A cycle lane exists or doesn't exist.. You can't have a cycle lane of sorts.

Its a lack of foresight from TM!

A Sammut

Jul 28th 2010, 12:59

@Joseph Schembri:
it shows you don't ride a bicycle... you can't cycle in a kerb - even more dangerous than cycling on the road... cyclelanes should be tarmaced and wide

S. Agius Vella

Jul 28th 2010, 13:02

Yesterday I was driving up the road in Bahar ic-Caghaq and I had five cyclists near me. They kept coming in and out in the middle of the road infront of my car. I was not sure what to do, whether use the horn, try to surpass them or something else. They didn't care of the traffic coming from the cost road and kept cycling as they liked. As soon as I managed to pass them I saw from the mirror that they began cycling in the middle of the road leaving all those vehicles behind them waiting. I call this irresponsibility and then we always blame the driver. Can't they stay on the side in a single way. Although in some roads authorities try to think of everything, we maltese people tend to do always whatever we like irrespective of anything. Same argument applies to those who drive too slowly urging others to surpass them thus causing accidents. Not everyone can keep the speedometer on 30, some people may have a busy lifestyle. I believe that maltese roads permit more than 30km/h.

Edward Mallia

Jul 28th 2010, 13:28

@Mr. Schembri

From your own post:
1. "a cycle lane of sorts"
2. "depressed kerb which I suppose can be used by cyclists"

I think that's the problem, cyclists need to makeshift with whatever is on the road. Depressed kerbs, hard shoulders, and the oh so famous cycle lane ON the pavement.

Steve Giordano Imbroll

Jul 28th 2010, 14:32

What cycle lane? are we kidding? I am a cyclist and I would have to cycle nearly in the middle of the road because Maltese drivers dont know how to over take a cyclist and usually end up hitting the cyclist ( happened to me) when I used to give space to drivers... so well done for the great roads...but disappointed in not promoting cycling lane...

Joseph Schembri

Jul 28th 2010, 22:14

Prof Edward Mallia: I understand your predicament as an ardent cyclist who has traversed Europe on his bike. The only option I see for a bicycle lane in Valletta road Zurrieq is tarmacking over of precious agricultural land trough which the road cuts through. Do you really want to sacricifice more land? As one of Malta's most respected environmentalists you must surely appreciate that one of our most serious environmental problems is the eating up of countryside. Even though agricultural land is not considered to be a 'natural' habitat I am sure that you prefer it over tarmac. Meanwhile I see no harm in using the concrete hard shoulder of Valletta road as a bicycle lane.

Malcolm Agius

Jul 28th 2010, 12:20

You are right Mr Farrugia! I can only add that there are still stop signs to exit and no emergency lanes!
let the accidents begin!

Duane Grech

Jul 28th 2010, 11:07

@Carmen Cassar

F'dan il- kas, din it- triq kin hemm bzonn ghalfejn it triq idejquwa. Ghamlu bankina bix in nies jistaw jimxu u anke traffic lights, halli tkuwn inqas ta periklu al dawk n- nies li jaqsmu triq fosthom tfal li imorru il- ground tal- footbal taz- Zurrieq.

Minflokk nifirhu ghax lestew triq fil hin Malta , naraw kif namlu bix niktritikaw!

Saviour Sam Agius

Jul 28th 2010, 11:29

Fiha ħafna x'tikkritika, għax triq arterjali bla post għar-roti hija dagħwa llum il-ġurnata.

J.Vassallo

Jul 28th 2010, 11:52

Ms. Camilleri

While I see what you mean and praise you for leading a healthy lifestyle (assuming you wear a mask not to inhale the toxic car fumes), I do also understand the other arguments against 1 lane roads.

What will happen now, is that tampers will fly, maverics will do the usual bravado and overtake on the other side of the road to avoid driving after a slow moving menace, hit an on coming car, lose control, mount the pavement and maime joggers like you, apart from killing the on coming car driver and passengers.

You just wait and see, the road will soon be choc a block full of marble plaque in rememberance of the various victims who were either walking on the pavement and crushed to their death by an oncoming car or victims of traffic accidents.

The bottom line culprit? Newly designed, narrow, 1 lane interconnecting roads. Such a major throughfare to a large town should never be designed with 1 lane roads in my opinion. Just wait for Sunday's with inching traffic and the hooligans driving on the other side othe road.

Enjoy your safe jog.

Fabian Borg

Jul 28th 2010, 11:33

Ghax ma tarax x`qed naghtu ahna lil EU.
Dazju Migbur min Malta qed imur kullu Brussels per ezempju.
U hemm izjed..

A Delia

Jul 28th 2010, 15:47

I am one of those who is asking for a speed camera. I am not one who doodles along at 25kph in the middle of the road. I am one who drives normally at 60-70kph on a main road. So a speed camera would not affect me in any way. I think that you, JAFarrugia, are one of those who is against speed cameras because he likes to overspeed as much as he likes and whenever he wants and put others' lives in danger without any consideration because he is always in a hurry. Because 'you got a life' ... haa ! A speed camera would affect you, but not me, that's why you're against it. Like you asked, I ask too. Are you one of those moron drivers who is always 'in a hurry' and like to overspeed and overtake in the most unthinkable and dangerous places such as on bends on the coast road? It's people like you who cause head-on collisions and deaths and distress for whole lives. OK if you encounter a frustratingly slow driver in front of you, slow down and then overtake when the road permits and it's safe... further ahead. Otherwise dont!

jafarrugia

Jul 28th 2010, 18:37

No i'm not one of those moron drivers always in a hurry, Speed cameras have been proven throughout the world to be nothing but cash cows, look what happens in Malta they drive fast slow down (nearly causing an accident) and then just speed up again.
Besides you have no idea how i drive so quit the drivel, i'm not a slow driver but im a good and safe one at that. I'll take you for a spin some time if you like to prove it.

A Delia

Jul 28th 2010, 11:50

Joe M Anastasi . . . .. You said, while commenting against speed cameras .... quote "If some of the people writing below want to avoid accidents then here are a few tips" unquote... and you proceeded to give us the good tips. But the thing is .... it's not WE PEOPLE wrinting below that have to follow these tips - we already follow them ..... its THEM MORONS that are not writing or reading below that have to follow them! So ...... conclusion whether you like it or not ...... speed cameras are the only way to make the Maltese moron drivers slow down (and I don't care about Britain).

R. Vella Bamber

Jul 29th 2010, 18:33

A.Slater; Do you know what broken lines mean? According to the law the overtaking is legal unlike the slow moving bus

George Casha

Jul 27th 2010, 22:46

Well done and about time road works are being taken seriously after all those years of neglect. Now do something about Kappara Junction after wasting all those thousands on a useless small Pacific Island in the middle of the road and Marsa, which are the worst places to be during rush hour. If the residents in Kappara are objecting to a flyover, which the have every right to do so, just dig a tunnel under the roundabout. It does not take rocket science and years of wasted time in studies to figure that one out ! A flyover at Marsa is more feasible due to the more open space and not being a residential area in the vicinity of the crossroads.

S. Zammit

Jul 28th 2010, 08:08

Only fools over-speed in these kind of roads where speed limits are typically 70km/hr or higher, so I'd say go ahead with cameras!

B Mifsud

Jul 27th 2010, 22:37

Mela mela speed camera ohra..... ghala le? Ghax qisna poplu li jirrispetta l-limiti tal-velocita minghajr speed cameras !! Jalla jwahhlu 2 u mhux wahda ghax b'hekk biss jitghalmu il-hafna pseudo-Schumachers u Hamiltons li ghandna jigru mas-saqajn, ibda minn tat-Taxis.

Oliver gauci

Jul 28th 2010, 09:28

I do not mind if there are speed cameras, however, it seems that for some kind of drivers it does. Currently, it is the only means to make the maltese roads safer and protect innocent people.

C Falzon

Jul 27th 2010, 23:19

Ergajna ! Fejn hija "bicycle lane".L-istess ghal M'scala.L-incident ta sena ilu diga mar ma rih.

chris falzon

Jul 27th 2010, 23:11

Ergajna ! Fejn hija "bicycle lane".L-istess ghal M'scala.L-incident ta sena ilu diga mar ma rih.

Joseph Ellul - Sydney

Jul 28th 2010, 02:34

Good question. I think that the wide walkway is due to the drainage pipework underneath. Due to heavy traffic, modern roads are being constructed so as to avoid services being underneath the actual traffic area. I remember when the sewer drain pipes were put in: I was almost killed by two racing quarry trucks as I was heading home to Zurrieq on my old motorbike.

Peter Bonnici

Jul 28th 2010, 00:01

You ought to travel more.

Joseph Ellul - Sydney

Jul 28th 2010, 04:48

Remember that there are still some horse driven carts using this road. I do not think that you would like to be stuck behind one. All is well.

Peter Korsten

Jul 28th 2010, 08:23

We see overtaking in the video, but that's because the truck is driving exceedingly slowly. If this isn't proof that slow drivers cause accidents, I don't know what is. ;)

But seriously, I'd rather be left the discretion whether to overtake or not. We don't need a nanny state to tell us what to do.

C. Schembri

Jul 28th 2010, 01:24

Bilfors tkun ippakjata! :-D Harqa nar bhal dik tal-Imqabbba!

R Axisa

Jul 27th 2010, 20:34

Naqbel mieghek mija fil-mija! Fl-ahhar mhux se naqla' aktar l-istonku tieghi meta mmur nzur il-familjari fiz-Zurrieq! A very big well done to all involved!

Adrian Allain

Jul 27th 2010, 21:02

Of course it will be abused by silly drivers. Why should it be any different to any other road in Malta.
People don't understand. The roads are not to blame; they are inert objects. It's the people using them that are at fault.

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