Authority ‘rethinks’ promised footbridge
A long-promised footbridge over the Mrieħel Bypass is not economically feasible, Transport Malta has concluded after studies showed that only an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week.
The authority is now looking at alternatives such as pelican crossing lights, even though it has a planning permit to build a footbridge, a spokesman told The Times.
“The footbridge designs have been completed and a Malta Environment and Planning Authority permit is in hand. In view of the re-thinking process, tender documents have not yet been prepared in relation to the construction of the footbridge,” the spokesman said, when asked whether plans were in hand.
However, traffic expert Simon Micallef Stafrace doubts the proposed solution of pelican lights is the best one, saying it may create more problems.
Five years after the death of two teenage girls who were run over while crossing this road, a community of around 300 residents, separated from Qormi’s centre by the bypass, is still waiting for the authorities to provide a safe means to traverse the busy artery.
Alternative arrangements being evaluated include the installation of traffic signals with integrated pedestrian facilities at the intersection with the industrial estate access road, the spokesman said. Guard rails would also help to channel pedestrians away from dangerous crossing areas.
The authority gave no deadline by when it expected to implement any new measures. For Dr Micallef Stafrace, a pelican light crossing would “defeat the scope of creating a safe passage for pedestrians and motorists”.
“Keeping in mind that motorists may be going at 70 kilometres per hour (the speed limit on the road is 80 kmh), finding a pedestrian crossing bang in the middle of the road will create problems. An overpass or an underpass is the better solution,” he said, insisting that economic considerations on their own should not be the yardstick by which such decisions are taken.
Last week, on the fifth anniversary of the death of Emma Marie Housley, 17, and Graziella Fenech, 13, Qormi mayor Jesmond Aquilina and other councillors reiterated their appeal for the government to build an overhead pass on the Mrieħel Bypass.
Last December Ivan Cutajar, 28, from Tarxien, was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for four years and fined €4,000 for causing the death of the two girls.
When the road was built some 20 years ago, the Tal-Blata housing estate was divided in two and residents on the industrial estate side of the bypass were cut off from the locality’s centre.
The area is not even serviced by public transport and children cross the main artery to attend various activities in Qormi.
The overhead pass has long been promised by the government but in the most recent parliamentary reply given by Roads Minister Austin Gatt last year, he said the project would be undertaken “when funds are allocated to the Transport Authority and depending on established priorities”.
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Neville Cassar
Sep 7th 2010, 15:26
In malta we `rethink` about having a pedestrian bridge over Mriehel by pass.... and in the UK... they actually built 3 of these bridges.... for dormice! So our authorities are thinking about the value of people... and in the UK... they even care that the dormice.... need to cross the road.
Bridges help dormice to cross Church Village bypass
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-11082007
Pelican crossing lights??? Are you joking? Do we want a massive car pileup now.... and THEN we build the bridge?
Malcolm Felix
Sep 2nd 2010, 18:42
The more I read the more I confirm how bad our authorities are in managing! We have a big problem here in Malta, which is traffic congestions everywhere. Instead of real plan problem solving, we always do a quick thing to shout “poplu l-gahan” mouth. Pelican crossing is not feasible as it will bring traffic to a halt, like “some” of the useless which are around. Same as in roundabouts, whilst all Europe is eliminating every single round about, because they realized that this will bring the traffic to a halt, here in Malta, we increase them, and not just that, we make them as large as a football ground. Two nets are all we need and we can play football in them. I am sorry, but MTA is a disgrace!
Joseph Scerri
Sep 2nd 2010, 15:19
Even if just one person a week cross the road that person should be safe, let alone 42 persons. They pay the tax men like all the others.
Carmel Borg
Sep 2nd 2010, 13:55
I am surprised that 42 persons risked life & limb crossing this fast and very busy main road. There should have been none ! To shoot down the footbridge on this statistic alone is ridiculous. A further point regards the 80km/h speed limit mentioned in the article. There are no signs saying this and the word is that the limit is 70km/h. Not that I am a fan of high speeds, but for safety and avoidance of fines, a clarification or proper signage would be most welcome.
Alexander Farrugia
Sep 2nd 2010, 15:14
The proper signage is already there: many instances of a white circle with a thick slanting black line meaning "National Speed Limit Applies" are installed along the road. (http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_070642.pdf)
I can confirm what you say that many people do not know that the limit is 80 km/hr though, judging by the ridiculously low speed that cars pass near the camera... sometimes cars go through there with a speed as low as 50km/hr!
Karl Abela
Sep 2nd 2010, 13:19
So if traffic expert Dr Micallef Stafrace thinks that 'finding a pedestrian crossing bang in the middle of the road will create problems', then why was Ivan Cutajar penalised for causing the deaths of the 2 girls (with all due respect to them & their families) when the problem was created by the pedestrians who shouldnt have crossed the road in the first place?
All over the world, if pedestrians are caught crossing highways they are arrested and fined heavily. Its high time that adequate laws are in place to make the pedestrian responsible of how and where and when he crosses the road.
That particular road is not a place for installing traffic lights. They are going to cause major pile up accidents.
sscerri
Sep 2nd 2010, 13:01
To you all here who are trying to blame any accident that might happen on the Authority because there is no footbridge or subway........ did it ever occour to you that less than 100 meters towards Qormi there is a flyover, underwhich one can cross just ONE LANE next to a roundabout ( meaning that speed there is already automatically reduced to near 20kph). Issa you talked about how much a life costs... It is priceless . so whoever needs to cross has himself to safegaurd it. Does your life cost as much as a 100 meter walk???? This particular road is more than a kilometer long.. how many footbridges do you propose to erect or subways to dig??????
Mark Camilleri
Sep 2nd 2010, 11:19
Not feasible ? This is ridiculous ! People need to cross that road so it is MT's responsibility to make it safe. A multi million lawsuit is needed for each death that occurs, that will show MT how feasible it is. Not that money will bring the lives back, but hope that no others are lost.
Roderick Micallef
Sep 1st 2010, 06:04
I would suggest all the families of victims that have been effected from this road because of lack of safety measures to sue Transport Malta and show them that a footbridge is feasible even though only 42 people cross the road in a week.
This is another case of the arrogant attitude towards honest tax payers, this is the situation Malta has come into. A ridiculous yet very sad situation indeed, I also suggest the residents effected to put more pressure especially when the elections are close to hopefully get something done.
I would also like to add another comment about the footbridge in Marsa, why did this bridge get fixed as is when it was hit by a truck several months ago? Why wasn't it raised further considering the fact that other trucks are narrowly missing this bridge? Also, would it be better if it was made of steel for example and could be simply adjusted further, it is only a foot bridge so it doesn't need to be made of concrete at least not all of it. Can't we ever get ANTYTHING right in this country? I wonder if we had to build a bridge with train rails!
L.Galea
Aug 31st 2010, 23:01
If the road has been built for 20 years, how come the urgency for the footbridge surfaced in recent years? Can't the people concerned walk slightly further down next to the roundabout near the Joinwell showroom and cross the road there. Vehicles approach the stop signs there and will be close to a halt. It is much safer there.
A cutajar
Aug 31st 2010, 21:07
This practice of creating pelican lights in arterial (highway) routes should be discontinued asap! Are you serious?
This traffic (mis-)management measure will accentuate road rage and consequently higher traffic risks if implemented. Pelican crossings should be confined to village cores and densely built urban areas NOT in bypasses.
Arterial roads are meant to divert traffic away from residential areas by giving precedence to vehicle users not pedestrians unless underpasses are in place as in the case of Birkirkara bypass.
Ryan G
Aug 31st 2010, 19:41
Most probably only 43 people crossed it because its so damn dangerous....
Luke Camilleri
Aug 31st 2010, 18:32
Isn't money more important than people's life?
jesmon testaferrata de noto
Aug 31st 2010, 17:33
May I point out that, currently, the speed limit for the Mriehel ByPass is 80km/h. If a set of traffic lights are installed at the access to the Industrial Estate or maybe pelican crossings are installed, the speed limit of this bypass needs to be reduced to 60km/h. May I also point out that, Dr Micallef Stafrace is recognised as THE expert in the Motor Vehicle Regulations, the Signage and Carriageway Markings Regulations and all other legal notices and legislation pertaining to road traffic however he is not a traffic expert. It is the profession of a Traffic Engineer which would eventually lead such a professional to claim expert status after years of experience. The profession of a Traffic Engineer is completely different from the legal profession.
john fenech
Aug 31st 2010, 19:20
Thank you for the clarification, therefore all the speed limits on our roadways were posted after a rigorous exercise by a traffic engineer, hence either the engineer got it wrong or else the MT is not up to speed!
c. camilleri
Aug 31st 2010, 17:28
@ Jeremy Camilleri. Time only will tell us whether your future Ministers will use a mini minor or a hansom instead of a jaguar. In the past the fashion for Ministers was to built villas plus their limousine while the people were not just deprived of a bridge by of all basic necessities. You were too small to remember these things but yours parents should do.
john fenech
Aug 31st 2010, 17:09
UK- MoT
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070108
Rules for pedestrians
Rule # 6
Motorways- Pedestrians MUST NOT be on motorways or slip roads except in an emergency (see Rules 271 and 275).
Rule # 254
Traffic on motorways usually travels faster than on other roads, so you have less TIME TO REACT It is especially important to use your mirrors earlier and look much further ahead than you would on other roads
Useful data- converting from Imperial to Metric:
Overall stopping distance @ 50KMH = 23 (36) Metres
Overall stopping distance @ 60KMH = 36(60) Metres
Overall stopping distance @ 80KMH = 53 (90) Metres
Remark: The OSD is calculated at best road condition, average drivers reaction time of 1.2 seconds and car in optimum condition otherwise the stopping distance have to be increased accordingly. Figures in brackets are the stopping distance on wet roads.
Pelican lights in the UK are being replaced with Puffin crossing which are safer and produce better facilities to the pedestrian.
Solution to the Mrieħel Bypass -Made in Malta by (TM) Maximum speed limit 30KPM
victor borg
Aug 31st 2010, 16:40
I know another woman from Qormi that was killed crossing that road with her sister both
returning home from work. Can our government tell us how much a life of a person is worth.
They can find millions to throw away building a parliament house hardly any body wants
wasting millions to people SENSERIJA and cannot find money to save lives, SHAME.
Marco Zerafa
Aug 31st 2010, 16:21
I've heard that NASA is looking for a professor to work out their statistics on the probability of a space vehicle not returning to earth. Perhaps the Profs who calculated the number of people crossing and the chance of getting killed would like to apply?
T Camilleri
Aug 31st 2010, 16:17
Kieku l-għerf ta' dal professur li qalilna li jaqsmu biss 42 ruħ fil-ġimgħa jixhel kieku solvielna l-problema tal-power station u ma jkollniex bżonn nibilgħu d-dħaħen tal-HFO.
albert leone ganado
Aug 31st 2010, 16:16
Quoting that only 42 crossed the Mriehel road is one of those misleading meaningless statistics.
What should have been said is that despite the imminent danger to life forty two reckless people still risked their safety. No doubt many more would cross if there was a safe means to do so. However i do agree that given the Marsa footbridge experience an above ground crossing is not the best solution.
A pelican crossing supplemented with traffic calming measures would be the best solution especially if it is strategically placed.For a dangerous blackspot is the layby for traffic coming from Marsa turning to the Mriehel industrial estate. Traffic lights would also reduce this danger by giving chance for cars the cross the opposite lane
P. Mizzi
Aug 31st 2010, 15:57
What's the big deal with digging up a narrow underpass? In the real world it could be completed in less than a fortnight. So far it's been five years since this tragedy and they're still thinking about it!! With all the speeding tickets meted out on this strecth of road since that fatal incident they could have paid for a gold plated footbridge I guess.
john fenech
Aug 31st 2010, 15:42
It is only logical to install a pelican light on an 80KPH bypass since this bypass was meant for speed limits of not more than 30KPH - therefore what is the fuss about?
Is the safety of 42 persons too expensive? Who was that spark who did not realise that if a bridge was available the number who crossed that stretch of tarmac will for sure be in excess of 42 per week! With this brain power we are assured that in a very short time our road ways will be the safest in the EU!
By the way will the MT sue those madcaps that consented for the speed limit on our roadways to be in excess of 50KPH-shame!
JAFarrugia
Aug 31st 2010, 16:33
Yes a Pelican crossing on a Bypass, you actually seriuos??? that road can easily handle 80kph, and get rid of the idiots driving under it off the road.
It's people doodling along at 30kph in the outer lane that are the main cause of accidents, you try staying behind someone on a trip doing 25kph in the middle of the road.
Peter Korsten
Aug 31st 2010, 23:24
No, he's not serious: he's using sarcasm.
Anyway, nobody drives 25 or 30 km/h on the Mriehel Bypass, but 50 or 60, that's what most people do. And because most people are going in the direction of Marsa/Valletta or Sliema/Gzira, they stay on the outer lane because of that genius that decided to have a dual-lane arterial road go over a single-lane overpass.
So you have someone doing 60 in the inner lane (nothing wrong with that) and someone else doing 60.5 in the outer lane... now that ticks me off.
H Schembri
Aug 31st 2010, 15:41
Hopefully if they decide of actually doing one, one day, they make it high enough for trucks to pass underneath it.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Aug 31st 2010, 15:15
Its just not feasible...Just not enough lives have been lost...OF course ferrying a minister from valletta to valletta in a fuel guzzling Jaguar is....
joe borg
Aug 31st 2010, 14:24
i am really lucky to have read this article, now i learned that the speed limit on this road is 80kmhr where i always thought it was 60kmhr. there is no sign whatsoever which indicates the limit so everytime i use this road i stay on the 60kmhr mark.
has anyone thought of digging a tunnel under the road?????? building a brige might be the cause of some other fool running into it at full speed and halting the whole island again.
i sincerely think that most of our roads need this kind of underpass, instead of bridges. a clear example is tal-barrani road in st. lucia, only that the people passing from there tend to cross the road just the same and halting the traffic all the time, no wonder this transaltes in morning traffic jams in marsa. i wonder who was the genius that proposed the installation ftraffic lights there.
F. Borg
Aug 31st 2010, 14:48
There are signs! The white sign with a black diagonal means that the national speed limit needs to be observed.
O. Falzon
Aug 31st 2010, 15:14
Joe Borg it seems to me that you need to RE-TAKE the car test ... like many other maltese drivers who got their license when the test was PEANUTS !!
James Mizzi
Aug 31st 2010, 15:54
Mr Joe Borg - you really deserve the comments you are getting after admitting that you do not know the meaning of the traffic signs; if you ever noticed them!
Edward Grech
Aug 31st 2010, 14:22
“Only an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week”
So what? Don’t these 42 people (and all the others who don’t cross the road because there isn’t a bridge) have a right to cross the road safely?
Jon Attard
Aug 31st 2010, 13:51
Is this the most scientific Transport Malta can get?
No wonder nobody trusts the promised 'scientific study' that TM is proposing in relation to speed cams.
If these people do not know that current demand (because of inexisting infrastructure) is not equal to potential demand (due to potential construction of infrastructure), then it is no wonder that Maltese roads are in the pitiful state thay are in.
What a shameful authority!
A. F. Seychell
Aug 31st 2010, 13:05
If you think safety is expensive, try an accident - the basic principle of safety management!
Carmel Cacopardo
Aug 31st 2010, 13:04
It seems that the authorities know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.
Christian Sciberras
Aug 31st 2010, 13:00
Yet letting VAT frauds get away with is economically feasible.
As is wasting time screaming on TV (*ahem* concerts) or shouting insults in football pitches (*ahem* sports village).
This is the perfect example of where any Maltese' true priorities lie.
A. Dimech
Aug 31st 2010, 12:56
"Transport Malta has concluded after studies showed that only an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week."
I am extremely curious as to how this number was measured. Did they put CCTV cameras all along the road for one week? Did they place people along the road counting? If so, did these only count during work hours? I'm not saying they measured incorrectly, but rather than just throw a number at us they should really provide details.
Regardless of the amount, even if it is one person per week, a safe method must be provided to cross the road. Private companies provide facilities for disabled people even if they don't employ any people with disabilities. I don't think they say "oh, we won't employ any disabled people because it isn't economically feasible to build a ramp or a lift". The government should be held to the same measures.
Romina Bonnici
Aug 31st 2010, 12:34
Shame on you Transport Malta. This decision is only rubbing salt in the wound of the families of the deceased girls. Was their life worthless then? How can one estimate the worth of a person's life? I wonder how many pedestrians would have to cross this road so that a footbridge is economically feasible! Any amount of money (including taxpayer's money) spent on the well-being of our citizens is money well spent! Are monuments and pieces of art placed in our pedestrian areas and roundabouts economically feasible then? I believe that this is another case of money mis-management as usual.
Dennis Zammit
Aug 31st 2010, 12:29
Why all this fuss?
Can't these people cross from the most safe part of the road; that is near the Joinwell showroom where all the cars have exited the by pass and have to stop to enter the roundabout?
After all, all the pedestrians who cross the by pass from other points have to walk to close to this area since the rest is fields. So why create a storm in a tea cup when the solution seems so easy to solve with the least cost and least disruption of traffic apart from possibly shifting the danger to the motorists who count more than 42 a week?
martin saliba
Aug 31st 2010, 14:32
Were it your son or daughter crossing this road you might think differently. May i ask what colour your eyes are , and im not talking about the iris.
Gerard Cassar
Aug 31st 2010, 12:25
And what about the St.Elmo footbridge leading to the breakwater. When will the works terminate and access given to the public?
Jesmond Micallef
Aug 31st 2010, 12:19
A community of 300 people is lacking proper infrastructure in order access the main town area. This is not right to my eyes. A footbridge or subway will not just give proper access but will also lessen the burden on road traffic and further promote more safety towards the pedestrians but also the drivers.
Josephine Callus
Aug 31st 2010, 12:10
42 x 52 = 2184 potential deaths every year.
A Attard
Aug 31st 2010, 12:24
and if 2 persons die in a year, 2 out of 42 = 5% fatality
so much for risk management
Reuben Vella
Aug 31st 2010, 11:54
Shameful.....looks like people's life has a price nowadays.....just shameful.
michael seychell
Aug 31st 2010, 11:44
Those who are totally against Pellican lights on this Bypass, seems that they are not aware that there are Pellican Lights on the B'Kara Bypass.
As far as I am aware there were never any major or serious accidents ever since peillican lights were introduced between the Hal Lija Roundabout and the University Roundabout, and this albeit that this bypass takes more traffic than the Mriehel bypass because of the Mater Dei Hospital and the University complex.
Michael Seychell
Tal-Pieta
Peter Korsten
Aug 31st 2010, 14:26
The issue is that any main thoroughfare in Malta is becoming slower to navigate over time.
The Birkirkara Bypass is too narrow and too twisty. So what is the solution? Lower the speed limit to 60 km/h and install a camera.
Now, they want to slow down traffic on the Mriehel Bypass by installing pelican lights.
The whole idea of a main thoroughfare is that it doesn't abruptly terminate (as is the case with the Birkirkara Bypass in Iklin), and that traffic keeps flowing. So no roundabouts, no level crossings if possible, all exits from the inner lane, and so on.
80 km/h is a perfectly adequate maximum speed for Malta, but there are very few places where you can actually reach that speed, and these places are becoming less and less.
What is missing is vision. Heck, what is missing is knowledge, since our prime minister himself is against raising speeds from 60 to 80 km/h, because in his view this would make public transport more popular. Yeah, I didn't see that one coming either.
Philip M. Bonello
Aug 31st 2010, 11:30
So a foot bridge is not economically feasible; it is too expensive. I wonder what the cost of a human life is? Isn't it enough that two children have died?
Gerard Cassar
Aug 31st 2010, 11:27
It is no proof at all that only some 40 persons crossed the road at that point in one week. That could also mean that people are avoiding that dangerous passage. So simple.
Charles Micallef
Aug 31st 2010, 11:22
If a footbridge saves just one life, it will be worth the investment.....
Go on TM let common sense rule the day!
J.Grech
Aug 31st 2010, 11:21
subways is the answer!!!
J Farrugia
Aug 31st 2010, 11:14
It is my humble opinion that there is no need for the paublic to finance a foot bridge in this area, which only may be used by not more than 40 persons in one day. There are more important things to do before embarking on a white elephant. Obey the traffic rules and no one gets hurt. Drivers must drive as they should, not speeding because the road allows you to do so, and pedestrians must be careful when crossing the roads. That was the message my father used to give me when I go out. Be careful when you cross the roads. I am very sorry for the victims but as I said somewhere else, it is the fault of irresponsible drivers or pedestrians that accidents occur. The roads have not fault in all this.
Felix Ebejer
Aug 31st 2010, 11:24
J Farrugia Only misers reason like you.
Peter Korsten
Aug 31st 2010, 11:42
Yes, we have far more important things to do in Malta, like building an €80 million City Gate project, than saving a few lives of people whom, frankly, nobody cares about.
Honestly, apart from learning how to read (it's 42 per week, not per day), you should also stop and think. This is an 80 km/h road (even though most drivers hit the brakes and slow down to 60 as soon as they approach the camera), it's wide, and it's a very important corridor. Putting a set of pelican lights will create havoc: not only on this road, but also on contributing roads and alternative routes: an accident on the Mriehel Bypass means that the road through Balzan and Birkirkara gets slower traffic, too.
It's already hampered by a stupid layout, with shops far too close to it, on one side (which is not as it was planned, but you know how things go in this country), and a lower capacity as soon as you drive into Attard on the other side. The last thing we need is to lower the capacity even further by putting pelican lights on this road.
Reuben Vella
Aug 31st 2010, 11:58
@ J Farrugia
I would agree with you if we lived in a perfect world.... unfortunately we don't.
There will always be that ;irresponsible person / road condition / instance, that can cause / be the cause of an accident. Not everyone will agree with me, but if we can do something to avoid a fatality then we have to do it.
C Ellul
Aug 31st 2010, 11:06
Just build a space frame bridge.
It should be cost effective , since TM is putting costs in the equation for safety.
Make sure it is high enough that the crazy local truckers do not pull it down .
The next problem the is how will mobility suffering persons go up and down the ramp or stairs.Possibly put in a very long approach ramp from both side 1in 100 type.
Else you need lifts , and TM must factor in this cost. Sure a ramp is cheaper.
Option Underpass.
Tunnel under the road and hope it does not become like the Floriana one , unusable for all the reasons we all know.
Mark Seychell
Aug 31st 2010, 11:15
Just a ramp, no need for stairs. The Marsa foot bridge doesn't have any stairs.
Mark Seychell
Aug 31st 2010, 11:03
are they insane, pelican crossing on a motorway???
TM get your fingers out of your arses and spent some more for a footbridge!
Dr Mark A. Sammut
Aug 31st 2010, 11:02
So why do the members of this community which has been cut off from the rest of their town, pay taxes?
To subsidize projects which benefit other areas in which there are more residents?
This is thwarted logic!
By this reasoning, electricity and water should never be supplied to people living in remote areas! Country lanes leading to solitary farmhouses should remain dirt roads! Letters should not be delivered to households outside urban centres! Etc etc
There is a principle which is cherished by all democracies: ALL CITIZENS ARE EQUAL IN THE EYES OF THE LAW.
This principle is enshrined in the slogan: Liberty, Fraternity, Equality. The State should treat these ideals as its beacons.
Instead, these people are not at liberty to cross to the rest of their hometown; there is no fraternal attitude towards them (the bridge costs too much!) and they are not treated equally when compared to other citizens.
This is the "liberal" tradition. Other traditions, such as the Demo-Christian one, would look at these citizens with compassionate, or charitable, eyes and help them.
All in all, the present Administration is failing the citizen, irrespective of the angle from which one looks at it. Shame!
Maria D.Sacco
Aug 31st 2010, 11:28
Agree
Mark Vella
Aug 31st 2010, 10:58
FOOTBRIDGE FOOTBRIDGE FOOTBRIDGE! Bis success li qed jaghmel dan l'ahhar xhur il footbridge tal Marsa, ikun hemm cans li izjed trailers isiru famusi jehlu taht bridge l'imriehel ukoll! Xi pjecir! Nithajjar indahhal trailer ha nghidlek! Kif f'dan l'artiklu ma jissemma qatt underpass? Ma nafx kemm tigi tiswa kumparata mal bridge pero.. U railing ma genb it triq ma tantx ha jzomm nies li jkunu jridu jaqsmu, xorta jaqbzu il crash barriers (alavolja rails ikunu izjed gholjin) biex jaqsmu, alavolja jekk taqbez hazin tista taqa u tispicca f'nofs it triq, pero dik ma nikkalkulawhiex....
Peter Korsten
Aug 31st 2010, 10:57
Did Transport Malta consider that only 42 people per week cross the road BECAUSE IT'S VERY DANGEROUS TO DO SO? No, of course not.
As soon as pelican lights are installed, the number of people crossing the road will greatly increase, particularly during times that the Mriehel Bypass is already very busy. More traffic jams, more pollution.
Transport Malta should do well to look at other countries and see what are the things you should not have on main thoroughfares. Those would be crossing traffic (as happens on the Mriehel Bypass), roundabouts and exits from the outer lane. Guess what: we have all those in Malta, and we have them in great abundance.
But it seems that actually knowing what you're talking about is not a requirement to make decisions that affect the tax-paying population, who has to use these badly planned roads every day.
Reuben Caruana
Aug 31st 2010, 10:56
A much more dangerous spot, crossed by dozens every day is the Kappara round-about.
This is served by public buss and particularly used by foreign students in the summer months. It is surely a matter of time until a tragedy strikes. Should anyone from the ATD happen to feel responsible for this, please take note.
A Agius
Aug 31st 2010, 10:44
Pelican lights on Mriehel bypass?! Are they frikkin serious?
N.Lawrence
Aug 31st 2010, 10:41
How many lives does it take to build a footbridge?
david gulia
Aug 31st 2010, 10:31
Again!!!!...the easyiest solution....Pelican Lights!!!!!....IS THIS A BYPASS????????COME ON....LEAVE IT A BYPASS!!........so where ever sombody left his life in a traffic accident...........we close the road for ever!!!..A BYPASS IS A BYPASS!!!
Deo Catania
Aug 31st 2010, 10:30
"A long-promised footbridge over the Mrieħel Bypass is not economically feasible, Transport Malta has concluded after studies showed that only an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week." Not surprised at all.......from ADT I don't expect any better. In simpler words they are saying let accidents happen. It's not fair neither for motorsits nor for pedestrians. In such a road none are at fault unless a vehicle is way over the legal speed limit. On the other hand pedestrians don't seem to have much choices. Lesson of the day, safety must be economically feasible (according to the chickens at ADT). Does the PM read such nonsense? and if he does why doesn't he react? If we were a serious country the PM will simply order a footbridge to be built irrespective what ADT says.
Stephen Koludrovic
Aug 31st 2010, 10:30
If 42 persons weekly cross this dangerous stretch of road, then there are 42 possible accidents that can also occur weekly.
John Micallef
Aug 31st 2010, 10:29
Taqra l-ewwel paragrafu huwa xokkanti!!!
Qishom dawk il-42 ruh li jaqsmu jghanlu b'kapric u jistaw ma jamluhx.
B'dan l'argument imnalla hafna Maltin jitilghu ghawdex bil- karozza, ghax malajr jigi xi hadd jghid li bl-lanca ninqdew u ma hem bzonn il- Vapuri.
Ahjar Alla itini l-pacenzja!!! Il- Hajja vera cheap f'dan il- pajjiz. UNBELEIVABLE!!
Meta nara dawn il- konkluzjonijiet inhossni nghix aktar fpajjiz tar-raba dinja milli fl-ewropa!!
A.Busuttil
Aug 31st 2010, 10:21
Are we saying that not feasabile when 2 young girls died. Are we going to count money before we see another fatality. Ara vera spiccajna. Money for datatrack to watch camers we have? fejni l-kuxenza socjali?
Robert Paul Galea
Aug 31st 2010, 10:16
I understand that pelican lights might not be the ideal thing to have on one of the busiest motorways we have in Malta. However something needs to be done to cater for the pedestrians crossing.
A quick calculation:
42 pedestrians/week
Let's assume the working week is only 5 days = 8 pedestrians/day
Let's also assume an 11 hour day between 7am and 6pm = 0.72 pedestrians/hr
This is less than 1 stop per hour with all the safety factors taken into consideration in the working.
Furthermore pedestrians might be in groups of 2 or more crossing at one time.
If the number of days is increased, longer hours and more pedestrians crossing at one time are taken into account in the calculation the number of stops per hour would decrease substantially. We would be looking at a maximum of 1 stop every 2 hours if at all.
Due to the fast moving traffic I would consider placing orange lights at every 50m for 200m from the pelican lights. These would start flashing as soon as a pedestrian hits the pelican lights switch. This would signal to the on coming motorists to slow down in good time.
Peter Bonnici
Aug 31st 2010, 10:15
Pelican lights on such a road would be a crazy idea. Traffic cannot be allowed to stop on this road, no matter what. In fact, crossing should be curbed by raising the central barrier high enough to avoid people jumping over. Pedestrians must be prepared to walk and cross from a safe place.
Joseph Zammit
Aug 31st 2010, 10:11
what a shame! and how stupid and short-sighted! if it's only 42 people that are crossing the road it must be because they know how dangerous it is and parents are probably having to drive their children around to they don't have to cross the road.
Gordon Sammut
Aug 31st 2010, 10:07
Pelican crossing lights on a bypass?? Do you ever see a crossing lights on a freeway overseas?? Transport Malta get serious!!!
Norman Borg
Aug 31st 2010, 10:07
'Only an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week' because it is too dangerous to cross. Even 42 is too high, it means that 42 people are risking their lives every week.
Kevin Zammit
Aug 31st 2010, 10:07
imma tmenin miljun ghall parliament iehor bla bzonn ghandhu!!!!!!! ara veru m'ghadkom tisthu minn hadt!!!
T Camilleri
Aug 31st 2010, 10:05
This is false reasoning by Transport Malta because it is considering the life of persons on an economic basis . Even if one person crossed the road it is miserable for Transport Malta to put his or her life in danger. Misers where public security is concerned but prodigal where their salaries and perks are concerned.
K.Anastasi
Aug 31st 2010, 13:10
Well said!!!
FN Farrugia
Aug 31st 2010, 10:02
"after studies showed that only an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week"
studies my ar*e. mux ovja li jaqsmu il bypass 42 biss jekk memx bridge. kif ed tipretendu li ha jaqsmu lanzjani u tfal bhalissa..trid tamel sprint ta inqas min sekonda biex taqsama.
FAIL
A Micallef
Aug 31st 2010, 10:01
Can Transport Malta please hire some real pros, urgently?
Even I, a simple tax-paying driver, can instantly see that pelican lights/traffic lights will just cause more problems, more traffic, more accidents (by drivers trying to speed through an orange light), and will not solve any problem as pedestrians will simply cross when it's not yet clear to cross.
This is a major road, one which is decently designed and built (by Maltese standards), and one where drivers can drive at a decent speed without constantly having to change gears. An underpass/overpass should be built, the speed camera removed, and speed limit increased to 90 (the standard speed limit for minor roads in non-built up areas in Europe). On this road, priority should be given to drivers, not pedestrians.
Why do I even have to write this?
T. Agius
Aug 31st 2010, 10:00
Do' nt repeat the same mistake twice! An Overpass over that kind of arterial road isnt a feasable solution! a subway would be much more sensible....... when Mr Gatt has money to spare for citizens!
duncan Tanti
Aug 31st 2010, 10:00
pelican crossing on a highway????bis-serjeta??????
David Buttigieg
Aug 31st 2010, 17:45
As much as I agree with a footbridge, the road is as much a highway as a toothpick is a spear!
timothy pace
Aug 31st 2010, 09:59
Well then thats 42 lives spared then. I very good investment in the well being of these Qormi residents!!! I am sure the funds can be found considering the large budgets spent on marketing of government projects such as the 1milion Euro spent marketing the City Gate project!
Paul Debattista
Sep 2nd 2010, 15:50
42 lives spared? Dear Timothy, the article states that "an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week" and not that 42 people die while crossing the road in a week.
Please think before you write.
Thanks
Jesmond Micallef
Aug 31st 2010, 09:59
A community of 300 people living across this fast stretch of road is enough justification to build a footbridge or an underpass no matter what the economics state !! With either of such development, people will walk more rather then use their cars on such a short trip, promoting healthier living.