The transport watchdog is sticking to its guns over the controversial new traffic arrangements in Qormi, saying preliminary studies show delays were significantly reduced and road safety improved.
According to a Transport Malta report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the new traffic system was the best possible option, even better than a flyover.
Earlier this month, access to the lower part of Mdina Road, leading to Marsa, for all traffic coming from Żebbuġ and Luqa, was closed. As a result, motorists approaching the Qormi roundabout from Luqa or Żebbuġ now have to take Manuel Dimech Road and use the next busy roundabout just up from Pavi Supermarket. They then have to switch lanes and double back down Manuel Dimech Road towards the Qormi roundabout again before taking the first exit towards Marsa.
This fuelled a barrage of criticism from both motorists and the Qormi local council, which complained that traffic in this arterial junction had increased.
The traffic arrangement was also slammed by traffic experts Hugh Arnett and Simon Micallef Stafrace who described the idea as “pointless” when asked for a reaction by this newspaper.
However, Transport Malta still defended its decision, saying it acted following numerous complaints to address a traffic black spot in the intersection between Manuel Dimech Road and the lower part of Mdina Road.
The controversy was also raised in Parliament when Transport Minister Joe Mizzi tabled a report compiled by Transport Malta in reply to a series of questions by Opposition MPs Ryan Callus and Ċensu Galea.
According to this report, tailbacks dropped by 41 per cent in Manuel Dimech Road and 29 per cent in Mdina Road. The data, the report explains, was compiled during a monitoring exercise on July 16.
It was also noted that the average traffic speed was 21km/h and no standing traffic was observed.
A traffic count exercise last year had indicated that the worst traffic scenario at the Qormi junction occurred on weekdays during the morning rush hour between 7.15 and 8.15 when about 2,200 vehicles took the roundabout, with only about 150 proceeding to lower Mdina Road. As a result, there was no need for a traffic impact study because the intervention had only affected 7.5 per cent of vehicles, Transport Malta said.
As for the issue of safety, the transport watchdog pointed out that between 2007 and last year, 73 accidents involving injuries or fatalities had been reported.
It cited the acute angle of the intersection between Manuel Dimech Road and lower Mdina Road as the major problem, which did not allow for a standard design to be adopted for the roundabout. The faulty design was causing an accident black spot.
The report argued against installing traffic lights or constructing a flyover saying that “this would have reduced further the turning movements at the junction”.
Another option, that of enlarging the roundabout, was also discarded as it would have increased the overall footprint of the junction, negatively affecting properties in the area, Transport Malta said.