Government does not care about pedestrian safety – Labour
Mrieħel footbridge deemed unfeasible
The government did not care about the safety of pedestrians, the Labour Party said yesterday, expressing disbelief at the dismissal of a request for a footbridge spanning the Mrieħel bypass.
Transport Malta has dropped plans to erect the footbridge, deeming it unfeasible. A study it carried out showed that only an average of 42 people crossed the road in a week.
PL spokesman Charles Buhagiar said such reasoning was unacceptable “and, frankly, irrational”. He noted that three people died crossing the road there.
He also noted that the government had voted against a motion moved by the opposition in Parliament for safety measures to be installed in Anton Buttigieg Street in Żejtun, where a number of serious accidents had taken place, including a collision that claimed the lives of a family of three a year ago.
Emma Marie Housley, 17, and Graziella Fenech, 13, died after they were run over on the Mrieħel bypass five years ago. Jonathan Seychell and Roxana D’Anastasi, 20, and their three-year-old daughter, Kelsey, died in a collision with a water bowser in Żejtun.
In reply to Mr Buhagiar’s comments, the Infrastructure Ministry said it was the duty of those who spent public funds to do so carefully and in proportion to the problem being addressed.
The ministry noted that building a bridge across a street was not cheap.
With reference to Anton Buttigieg Street, Żejtun, it said Transport Malta had taken all the necessary safety measures despite the road falling under the responsibility of the local council, to whom Mr Buhagiar should have addressed his criticism.
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Charles Muscat
Sep 2nd 2010, 12:56
In NSW we have streches of 400 kls of motor ways and you will not find any crossing.
At night it could take over an hour and a half by the time you meet with an on coming car from the time you see the head lights like a shining star.
Peter Montebello
Sep 2nd 2010, 11:10
To the transport ministry spokesperson.
You are stating that Triq Anton Buttigieg in Zejtun is a residential road and falling under the responsibility of the Local Council. Could you please let us (Zejtun residents) know if Transport Malta were in the right to divert most of the heavy load of traffic to this (residential) road whilst Marsascala bypass was being rebuilt?
Even if TM were right, which I very much doubt, they are still responsible for the damage that has occured to the road surface due to overuse of such road.
Meanwhile, since this is a residential road, as the department is saying, I encourage, nay demand, that our mayor, Mr Attard and the local council, passes a bylaw restricting traffic through this road for Zejtun residents only.... thus all those passing through this road linking Bir ir-Deheb with Marsascala will have to go through Paola, Fgura and the new Marsascala bypass.
Michelle Dimech
Sep 2nd 2010, 10:00
If we take a hollistic approach on every project we embark on, even the slightest, we would not need to rethink a budget for such safety measures. At the moment many roads are being redone but its not just the pot holes we need to take care of. Pavements are disasterous to walk on with pushchairs and wheel chairs which causes many ppl to have to walk on the road which is dangerous. Maybe cars should take first priority when laying out roads but pedestrians should be catered for as well. In this particular case its not a luxury that is being proposed but a downright need. Its is not something political it is part and parcel of the 'standards' we should be adhereing to to make this country better.
Jon Vercellono
Sep 2nd 2010, 14:44
It sounds as if the government decided to make a non-political issue political. They should send a letter to all the residents there explaining the reasons why lol.
William Micallef
Sep 2nd 2010, 09:23
Excuse me? What on earth are pedestrians doing on the bypass, of all places? Pedestrians should be discouraged from crossing this busy main road in the first place and the threat of being run over is the best deterrent there is.
wally vella-zarb
Sep 2nd 2010, 10:55
So what does Mr Micallef propose that the residents of a small zone should do in order to reach the services in the larger zone from which they were cut off through the installation of this main artery? Unfortunately, most humans are incapable of flight...
J Farrugia
Sep 2nd 2010, 11:50
I agree with Mr Micallef. Dear Wally shall we construct bridges in all our roads, because the pedestrial of his own free will chooses to ignore pedestrian crossing, zebra lines, and traffic lights and while ignoring all these conforts chooses ON HIS OWN FREE WILL to cross the road as he/she pleases without taking into considerationa ALL the consequences. If your eyes are not blinkered in red, you should see the logic of this. Malta and no other country for that, cannot put controlling instruments or build bridges in every corner of our roads. It's the responsibility of each one of us to use the roads WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.
Felix Ebejer
Sep 2nd 2010, 15:54
Profs J Farrugia, perhaps if you were not blinkered with blu blinkers you would come out with a solution for the residents to cross over to do their shopping and other needs without crossing the road? Who knows maybe you will suggest they grow feathers and fly like icarus?
William Micallef
Sep 3rd 2010, 08:54
Messers Vella Zarb and Ebejer - if there is no proper, safe way to cross a road then the only safe way to get to the other side is to drive there - take your car, head up to the end of the bypass and find the nearest roundabout and then travel back down on the correct side of the road.
If this is unappealing to you or to the residents, they are free to move to a more pedestrian friendly locality.