Tunnel would turn Gozo into a Sliema (2)

There has been much excitement relating to a proposed tunnel link from Malta to Gozo, apparently much supported by Gozitans. I can understand the reasons why Gozitans would like easier access to Malta, for a number of reasons that have already been expressed. However, there are also compelling reasons against building such a tunnel that need to be discussed.

As a regular user of the current ferry system I am well aware of the traffic-calming effect of the usual 45-minute time between each ferry sailing. This time interval gives enough time for a ferry car load to get dispersed on the roads at each end, although even now traffic tends to jam in Victoria with each ferry arrival. When a tunnel is in place this effect will be lost and traffic will likely jam up as traffic moves from the tunnel to the local roads at each end. Imagine the horror of being stuck in a traffic jam in a tunnel, breathing in the exhaust fumes to which we have become accustomed in these islands.

The problem, I believe, is that Gozo is too small an island to create the kind of road system that would be required to adequately cope with and disperse peak traffic flow. There is also the question of cost. If an adequate road system can be put into place to make the tunnel viable, then the cost of such a system would need to be added to that of the tunnel itself. Also, I believe the cost estimates quoted so far for the tunnel are seriously optimistic.

Another compelling reason not to build the tunnel is that Gozo would become just another part of Malta and not an island unto itself. I know that Gozitans want their share of the wealth that Maltese have derived from the development of Malta. But have they really considered what this would mean to them? Irrespective of Mepa’s noble ideals, once a tunnel is built there will be immense pressure on the government to extend the development zones again, and it will happen. Development will encroach into the valleys and I can just imagine a hotel or two on top of the presently vacant flat hilltops that are so uniquely distinctive of Gozo’s landscape.

Traffic density will approach the dire situation in some parts of Malta, with all its pollution issues. Is this what Gozitans really want to happen to their lovely island?