Government urged to make Mriehel bypass safer to pedestrians

The House of Representatives has started debating a private member's motion urging the government to remove dangers to pedestrians attempting to cross the Mriehel Bypass.

The motion was moved by Labour MP Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, who said it was shameful that in 20 years, the government had not done anything to remove the danger, which has claimed several lives.

It was regrettable, she said, that measures for safe crossing were not built into the design of the road.

But it was also shameful that the Transport Authority had felt that a footbridge was not feasible since it claimed, only some 42 persons per week crossed this busy road. This, she said, was not true. She had spoken to the residents of Tal-Blata housing estate and many of them needed to cross four times a day to go to the heart of Qormi.

The residents, she said, started living there well before the road was built. And in any case, people's health and safety should always come first.

Ms Coleiro Preca in particular paid tribute to the family of Ms Sammut, who lost her life on this road 20 years ago, and the families of Emma Marie Housley, 17, and Graziella Fenech, 13, hit and killed by a car in August 2005.

Safety measures, she insisted, needed to be installed without further delay.

A spokesman for Transport Malta told The Times last year that a footbridge was not economically feasible and the authority was looking at alternatives such as pelican crossing lights.

“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.

Alternative arrangements being evaluated included 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.

Opposition roads spokesman Charles Buhagiar said pelican lights were not safe enough while speed cameras were ineffective since motorists slowed down as they approached them, then drove at speed again. Therefore, the only alternative was an overhead footbridge.