Arriva irons out certain issues (5)

Like a lot of things in Malta, things are left to their own destiny; which is why the island is in a permanent traffic gridlock, especially in the south. With the now customary major roads closed for months on end it is even more essential that traffic moves swiftly through the remaining open arteries and that nothing allows traffic to grind to a halt. To this end we now have nothing less than a prime ministerial task force to hopefully get things moving (excuse the pun!).

What is abundantly clear is that the stated objective is, at best, obfuscated. Rather than attempt to solve the nationwide traffic gridlock, the objective seems to be to get Arriva to stick to its schedule. However, creating more bus lanes and having the army’s intervention is like using a bazooka to kill a fly.

What is needed is to ensure surveillance of major arteries and to intervene expeditiously to remove the cause of gridlocks – usually a petty traffic accident involving a dent or a scratch, but not only.

And this is not done through the inefficient use of heavy mechanised contraptions flying overhead, namely helicopters, but through strategically placed surveillance cameras which are monitored 24/7 in an efficient National Traffic Management Centre.

To that, traffic police should be deployed in an expeditious manner to whisk traffic through. Is that so much to ask in the 21st century?

Finally, is it true that the next major road closure is December 13th? If so, God help us all!