Trucks bring chaos to Mellieħa’s streets

Trucks and other heavy vehicles ignored diversion signs in Mellieħa and drove up George Borg Olivier Street causing chaos in the road that was reopened to two-way traffic yesterday.

Motorists driving through the area contacted The Times to complain about the heavy traffic on the main road that links Mellieħa to Għadira Bay.

At the moment it is the only road leading to Ċirkewwa as the Mellieħa Bypass and Marfa Road are closed for reconstruction works as part of the European Ten-T road building project. They are expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Mellieħa mayor Robert Cutajar said the chaos was mainly the result of the lack of enforcement near the Sea Bank Hotel roundabout to stop heavy vehicles from driving up the hill.

The local council already employed a warden to work a seven-hour daily shift in George Borg Olivier Street and could not afford to have another one posted at the roundabout, Mr Cutajar said. He pointed out that the two wardens previously manning the diversion had been funded by Transport Malta and, since George Borg Olivier Street was reopened, it had stationed two enforcement officers to help manage traffic.

Mr Cutajar said the roadworks formed part of a government project and the local council did not have the budget to provide supporting traffic enforcement.

However, a government spokesman said law enforcement was the competence of the council and the police.

“We do not stand near every traffic sign in the country to explain what it says. Anyone who ignores a traffic sign does so in expectation of enforcement action by the competent authorities,” the spokesman said. “It is also within the sole competence of the local council to determine where to place wardens in a locality and the fact that there is a Transport Malta project in the vicinity has no bearing at all,” she said.

Mr Cutajar called on the government to push the contractor to complete the works on time in the interest of residents, the business community in the area and others passing through the locality.

He said the council and the Transport Ministry were monitoring the situation.

“The council is aware that this temporary solution is not ideal and the situation will only improve once one carriageway on the bypass was opened,” he said.

Until yesterday, traffic was only allowed to drive down the road except for route bus number 41 that could drive both ways.

The road was yesterday reopened to two-way traffic for light vehicles, which were allowed to drive up from Mellieħa Bay. Heavy vehicles were still diverted through the new road near Popeye Village.