Many roads not designed for 80 kph speeds – Transport Malta

S. Buhagiar

Aug 26th 2010, 08:10

It would be better that the Government issues some sort of vouchers like those issued in the UK to get rid of our old cars from the road and buy a new car plus also fix all the main streets like sliema,etc. These are the most important steps that can be implemented immediately to reduce emmissions.

Mario Scicluna

Aug 25th 2010, 23:23

Most roads in Malta cannot sustain 80kph speeds?? The new Valletta road in Zurrieq has a 60kph speed limit. Does this mean it was not properly build????????? Confused. Or money down the drain???????

Robert Calafato

Aug 25th 2010, 23:02

As is usual in this country, we are ignoring the main problem and trying to impose a "quick" fix.
The speed limit has absolutely nothing to do with the chaos we have on our roads! Even if it were reduced to 60km/hr, we would still have people "loosing control" of their vehicle, running down pedestrians on zebra crossings ect.. Just this afternoon I was nearly hit by a young "lady" who was driving her flashy new car while talking on her mobile phone with one hand, and barely holding the steering wheel and a cigarette with the fingertips of her other hand!!
At the risk of being viewed as a pessimist, I see no hope for improved driving standards on this island. There is no will or moral conviction to really take the bull by the horns and devise and ENFORCE a national strategy aimed at improving driving standards, and I challenge anyone here to prove me wrong!

A.J.Borg

Aug 25th 2010, 22:13

So TM is telling us that Mriehel-Qormi by-pass, Birkirkara by-pass, Sta Venera tunnels, Bahar ic-Caghaq and most other areas are not suitable for 60km/h+ ?? Speed cameras are causing frustration. No wonder everyone speeds up a few metres away from the camera. Not to mention the number of times I almost had an accident due to sudden braking of the car a head of me.

Albert Bezzina

Aug 25th 2010, 21:10

Part 3
5) “In the case of fixed speed cameras, there is little evidence to suggest that they have an impact on crash reduction in other parts of the network.” In fact circumstantial evidence suggests that since their widespread introduction in March 2009, there has been a doubling in road fatalities. It is difficult for the authorities to prove that the surge in road fatalities (April 2009 to March 2010 – 28 fatalities) is not related to the increase in speed cameras deployment during the same period.

I look forward to the publication of the research findings which TM will publish. I hope that they will be published complete with the technical substantiation and not just TM’s conclusions.

Albert Bezzina

Aug 25th 2010, 21:08

Part 2
3) TM agrees that “encouraging drivers to accelerate constantly from a residential (??) speed limit of 40kph to 80kph, leads to more noxious emissions during acceleration. Therefore will there not be ‘more noxious emissions during acceleration’ when road vehicles leave the ‘zone of action’ of speed cameras in non residential roads with an imposed unreasonable speed limit?

4) Acknowledging the “kangaroo effect” of slowing before speed cameras and than accelerating again (see no. 3), TM said the cameras were still effective in reducing speeds around a buffer zone surrounding the cameras. On an arterial road network of 150kms, this ‘buffer zone’ of safety extends for a grand total road length of around 2 kms!! The ‘halo’ of safety exerted by each speed camera does not extend to a few kilometers but a few hundred meters.

Albert Bezzina

Aug 25th 2010, 21:06

Part 1
1) “Many of Malta’s main roads are not designed for cars speeding (yaaawn ie transiting) at 80 kph.” Maltese roads were laid not designed. The roads that merit the classification of a designed road are the ones built in recent years. In such a case why were they not designed to allow safe transit of road vehicles at the national speed limit? Rabat road, Zebbug, may require a 70kmp transit in some areas but to impose 60 kph throughout a 2 km stretch of road passing through rural areas between towns – M’Scala Bypass and the new road to Zurrieq – is a failure in road design!

2) “A five per cent increase in speed leads to 10 per cent more injuries and 20 per cent more fatal accidents” Can we know what was the baseline ‘speed’ in the UK study to which a 5% increase results in increased injuries and fatalities? Surely 5% over 60 kph (63 kph) would not increase fatalities by 20%. Was the UK study based 5% increase on the national speed limit of 112 kph (70mph)?

Joseph Galea

Aug 25th 2010, 20:42

It does not take too much to realise that roads in Malta (with a very few exceptions) cannot sustain speeds of 80kph. A 60kph limit should be imposed island wide, although I am sure that the many wannabe Gradnd Prix drivers will strongly object to this. Anything beyond 1500cc is a waste in Malta.

Sabrina Borda

Aug 25th 2010, 17:42

Transport Malta has a monopoly on Common Sense, stolen right from us, turning the majority of good drivers into puppets.
Also they have not taken into consideration that people now do not drive attentively.... only because one has to look at the speedometer constantly instead of the road.

Gilbert Busuttil

Aug 25th 2010, 17:06

TM seem to know what they're doing. As a matter of fact they drive around with no seatbelts. Just last Monday morning I saw a small TM car on Aldo Moro road marsa going round the roundabout with both the driver and passenger (both TM officials in uniform) wearing no seatbelt. Then these experts dictate road safety...unbelievable!

M. Aloisio

Aug 25th 2010, 16:28

I visit Malta every year or so and usually have the opportunity to do a bit of driving. I am always surprised at how quickly one reaches a speed at which the car starts to feel unsafe because of the frequent curves in the roads and because many road surfaces are excessively smooth, perhaps because of the high volume of traffic. The frequent and sometimes sudden stops only makes the situation worse.

Jon Attard

Aug 25th 2010, 14:46

Well ... it comes from the horse's mouth: Many of Malta’s main roads are not designed for cars speeding at 80 kilometres.
Indeed, ALL Maltese roads are not deigned for cars at all. The very many potholes anyone can find all over the place indicates that these roads are at best suitable for wagons, horses and beasts of burden going at a maximum of 10km/h.

Nevertheless cars exist, are on our roads and consequently need to be taken into account. 60 km/h is a speed at which everyone can drive safely, and since people leave_a margin of safety of_between 15 and 20 km/h at speed camera points, the speed limits need to be increased to 80km/h.

I for one, would_never trust TM to come_up with_a study of its own_that_is_objective. After all, this_is the same authority_(rebranded at a big_cost to taxpayers, of course) who came up_with the emissions alert system_with one hand_only to screw_it up with_the other, the same_authority which fouled the_licensing and testing_process and the same authority which screwed_up thousands of car_importers only_to change_the rules without forewarniong after some time_(not_to_mention_the_fact that it is also the same authority responsible for our shameful roads).

Who believes_TM or any_of its claims any longer?

Richard Curmi

Aug 25th 2010, 14:01

Can the transport Malta please indicate who are the persons concerned and what qualifications they have to come to such conclusions. Cause I can challange anyone of them that, if the Tal-Barrani outerlane road cannot take more then 60kph then they must be living on the moon, at least 70kph!!. The ammount of traffic the speed camera has created is unbelievable. The least the they can do is put signs indicating that the outerlane one should drive at 60kph and not less and enforce the law that has just passed. Cars leave the lights from the Tarxien area and are crawling at 40kph and everyone gets stuck bumper to bumper, with frustration reaching high tempers. Again they get caught on the bir id-deheb traffic lights. Than it`s one lane all the way, and one has to drive all the way behined these slow drivers that drive well below the allowed speed limit. Everyone knows what the agenda is to keep limits at 60kph. Take the Mriehel speedcamera,80kph, I don`t think enough revenue was being made from it, why was it dismantled? reparing it maybe......

Robert Cassar

Aug 25th 2010, 13:35

TM is the one of the biggest jokes in this country. Our roads are not even safe on foot. There's absolutely no difference in safety between 60kms and 80kms on this island, so might as well let us get there quicker. If they want to solve something they should pick on the people driving slowly in the fast lane.

l fenech

Aug 25th 2010, 13:34

What roads? I have been driving all over Malta for the last 45 years on the same bumpy and lets say holey roads.

Paul Barrett

Aug 25th 2010, 12:46

Quote: Given Malta’s short distances, raising the speed limit on main roads would encourage drivers to accelerate constantly from a residential speed limit of 40kph (unless otherwise indicated) to 80kph, a situation that would lead to more noxious emissions, which increase during acceleration. Unquote.

It would help if the spokesperson actually read The Highway Code. The National speed limit for cars and motor-cycles is 80kph and 50kph (50mph and 30mph) in a built up area. Other vehicles have different (slower) speed limits. These speed limits may be restricted by appropriate traffic signs.

Matthew Scerri

Aug 25th 2010, 12:39

Finally TM admit the roads we have to make do with are badly designed. They aren't even suitable for cars doing 40kph...

Paul Caruana

Aug 25th 2010, 12:20

In Malta, there now exist a number of designated highways, and have actually been given a number (for example, the road from the freeport to cirkewwa has been designated as highway no 1).

At the very least, one expects that along these main roads, a signpost should be put up every 250m or so, designating the maximum speed at which an automobile can be driven along that stretch of road, where these are not already present - is it 60, 70, or 80 kph? I am well aware that this will not solve the overspeeding problems where reckless, irresponsible drivers are concerned, but at least it will avoid confusion of what the speed limit is on a particular stretch of road.

Reg Fitzpatrick

Aug 25th 2010, 12:01

How on earth can you realistically quote UK Speed Camera surveys????

They are shutting them all down! Two counties have already done so and the government say many more are to follow. Surveys carried out since show NO increase in accidents or severity of accidents where they have shut down!

So now UK local councils are introducing a replacement tax on motorists of “workplace parking Tax” of £250 per year per car. (Nottingham this week, and more to follow) They admit that’s all they ever used the cameras for was to raise revenue, and not to influence accidents!

If you want to follow the UK lead then get rid of them all, and leave it at that!

Ramon Casha

Aug 25th 2010, 10:57

Then the appropriate course of action is to identify the contractors who built them, haul them to court for producing substandard roads and force them to rebuild them properly, NOT to reduce the speed limit to absurd levels in order to cover up these contractors' shoddy work.

T Camilleri

Aug 25th 2010, 10:42

Can TM tell us who are its traffic experts?

M.Camilleri

Aug 25th 2010, 10:22

I wasn't aware that our roads were "designed" at all, they seem more like a scribble to me.