The oversized and more frequent Arriva buses in Mrabat Street, Sliema, have turned it into a “no-go zone” even as early as 6 a.m., with tailbacks of up to six buses and residents experiencing daily exasperation.

The residents have boiled the predicament down to the fact that whereas only two buses used to pass every 20 to 30 minutes, with the advent of the reformed public transport system the outsized vehicles are passing every five.

Mrabat Street narrows considerably by the Belmont Hotel and again further along towards Sliema, meaning it is hard for two cars to pass – let alone two buses.

Although the street has been synonymous with traffic due to its narrower sections, the old buses rarely crossed paths and their drivers were aware of the obstacles ahead. But since the routes have been stepped up a gear, the situation is now “terrible”.

For Karl Chetcuti, who was born and raised in Mrabat Street, it is “hilarious” – although the fact that he has found himself in “complete lockdown”, unable to leave his home for a while, is far from funny.

“We have reached the point where we wake up at 6.30 a.m. to the sound of five horns hooting to oblivion, even though it is not peak time and the streets should be bare,” Mr Chetcuti said. “The minute a bus passes, it is blocked!”

Mrabat Street is a bottleneck from two major arteries – not just one – and it lacks a right-of-way system, in his view. He has observed that buses do not stop and cars persevere that extra 10 metres through the narrow sections, trying to squeeze in but only aggravating matters.

“I was told the traffic is so bad it reaches the Sliema police station from the Belmont Hotel!

“The sad thing is that once the bottleneck is overcome, the buses halt again for passengers at the two stops opposite each other,” Mr Chetcuti points out.

Problems did exist previously but cars managed to squeeze through thanks to that “extra inch”, he said, aware that it would be impossible to use the smaller buses for the Sliema routes.

Tanti Antiques’ owner Alfred Tanti, who has two shops in the street, has witnessed countless crashes since the new buses started operating. He has seen three approaching from one direction and three from the other, resulting in “disaster” when they met, as only one could pass.

He maintains his business has been affected, with people avoiding the road for fear of the traffic they would have to face.

One proposal is for the narrow section in front of the hotel to be turned into a one-way system with, for example, cars going down the road at the fork from San Ġwann.

Another option would be for only the buses to pass through the narrow part, or to reroute them completely, Mr Tanti said.

The Sliema local council also expressed its concern about the jams in the area, saying traffic was increasing, resulting in more pollution – “and school has not even started yet!”

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